Augusto C. Sandino International Airport , or ACS, is the main joint civil-military public international airport serving Managua, the capital of Nicaragua. It is named after Nicaraguan revolutionary Augusto Nicolás Sandino (1895–1934) and is located in the city's 6th ward, known locally as Distrito 6.

Originally christened Las Mercedes Airport in 1968, it was later renamed Augusto C. Sandino International Airport during the Sandinista government in the 1980s and again in 2001 to Managua International Airport by then-president Arnoldo Alemán. Its name was changed once more in February 2007 to its current name by President Daniel Ortega to honor the revolutionary.

Managua also has an alternative landing strip at Punta Huete Airport. Punta Huete was designed for larger aircraft and thus has a longer landing strip (3,000m vs. MGA's 2,442m). This alternative landing site, however, does not service commercial aircraft. The airport is managed by the state-run Administrative Company of International Airports, more commonly known as the EAAI, given its Spanish name, the Empresa Administradora de Aeropuertos Internacionales.

History Managua's previous airport, Xolotlan Airport, which was located about east of Managua, built in 1915, and it quickly became too small for Managua's airline service growth. In 1942, the Nicaraguan Government and Pan American Airways signed a contract to construct an airport by Las Mercedes Country Estate. Las Mercedes was further upgraded, re-designed to handle Boeing 707 aircraft, and re-inaugurated in July 1968 by Anastasio Somoza Debayle.

In the early 1970s, Las Mercedes was expanded to more modern standards; this included four health inspectors, eight immigration officers, and ten customs inspectors. It was considered fully equipped, having air conditioning, background music, loudspeakers, and conveyor belts for baggage handling. It also had a restaurant on its upper floor where visitors and travelers could see airport movement.

The expanded airport could serve three aircraft at once. By 1975, LANICA, Pan Am, KLM, TACA Airlines, Sahsa, Avianca, Iberia, SAM, TAN, Varig, and other carriers flew into Las Mercedes. When the Sandinistas took power, the airport was named after Augusto César Sandino, a Nicaraguan revolutionary and guerrilla leader, after whom the Sandinista movement is named. The Sandinistas, however, did not maintain the airport, and it began to deteriorate until it was expanded and remodeled in 1996, which installed two new boarding bridges. The airport was renamed "Managua International Airport" in 2001 by then President Arnoldo Alemán and renamed again in 2007 to its current name by President Daniel Ortega. In mid-2007, President Daniel Ortega renamed the airport in honor of Sandino. Nicaraguan artist Róger Pérez de la Rocha has created two large portraits of Augusto César Sandino and Rubén Darío; both of them lie in the lobby."Cultural" , El Nuevo Diario, February 19, 2000

Las Mercedes served as a hub for many of Nicaragua's flag carriers, such as LANICA (until 1978), Aeronica (1981–1992), and NICA (1992–2004). When NICA became a member of Grupo TACA during the 1990s, the number of important connections to the rest of Latin America from which ACS grew considerably.

According to EAAI (Empresa Administradora de Aeropuertos Internacionales), ACS is the most modern airport in Central America and the 4th safest in the world. It is located just from Managua's downtown, has a runway that measures in length, and is at an elevation of .

Expansion A large expansion program was underway by 2003, and as of July 2006, the final phase was completed. The airport was equipped with 7 gates with jetways and room for 20 airplanes to park. It had been reported in the recent past that the runway would be lengthened by , but this project has not begun, despite the government's achievements in building new airports elsewhere in Nicaragua or greatly overhauling existing airport/airfield infrastructure in other locations as well.

Facilities within the airport include a tourist information desk, bank, restaurants, bars, post office, souvenir shops, duty-free shops, lounge, and more. The types of services in the VIP lounge include checking baggage and documents with customs and immigration plus the airline; a bar service, snacks, etc.

Operations Augusto C. Sandino International Airport is Nicaragua's main international gateway. Domestic flights fly between Bluefields, the Corn Islands, and Puerto Cabezas. The airport is accessed by the Panamerican Highway, known as the Carretera Norte.

Airlines and destinations Passenger

Statistics Traffic figures

+ Traffic by calendar year, official government statistics Passengers Change from previous year Aircraft operations Change from previous year Cargo(metric tons) Change from previous year2006979,508 6.96% 30,897 0.30% 19,223 0.05%20071,051,830 7.38% 30,609 0.93% 21,727 13.03%20081,138,626 8.25% 31,705 3.58% 19,129 11.96%20091,090,004 4.27% 31,677 0.09% 18,946 0.96%20101,102,196 1.12% 30,030 5.20% 25,981 37.13%20111,120,147 1.63% 28,855 3.91% 22,330 14.05%20121,201,141 7.23% 30,697 6.38% 23,531 5.38%20131,206,172 0.42% 29,955 2.42% 22,281 5.41%20141,311,965 8.77% 29,326 2.10% 23,375 4.91%20151,499,756 14.31% 32,173 9.71% 29,034 24.21%20161,533,034 2.22% 36,822 14.45% 25,383 12.57%20171,627,527 6.16% 36,510 0.85% 25,639 1.01% Source: Nicaraguan Institute of Civil Aviation. Statistical Reports(years 2007,Anuario Estadistico 2007 . Instituto Nicaragüense de Aeronáutica Civil 2008,Anuario Estadistico 2008 . Instituto Nicaragüense de Aeronáutica Civil 2009,Anuario Estadistico 2009 . Instituto Nicaragüense de Aeronáutica Civil 2010,Anuario Estadistico 2010 . Instituto Nicaragüense de Aeronáutica Civil 2011,Anuario Estadistico 2011 . Instituto Nicaragüense de Aeronáutica Civil 2012,Anuario Estadistico 2012 . Instituto Nicaragüense de Aeronáutica Civil 2013,Anuario Estadistico 2013 . Instituto Nicaragüense de Aeronáutica Civil 2014,Anuario Estadístico de Transporte de Nicaragua 2014 . Ministerio de Transporte e Infraestructura (MTI) 2015Anuario Estadístico de Transporte de Nicaragua 2015 . Ministerio de Transporte e Infraestructura (MTI) and 2016Anuario Estadístico de Transporte de Nicaragua 2016 . Ministerio de Transporte e Infraestructura (MTI))

Top international destinations + Busiest international routes to and from MGA (Jan. 2014 – Dec. 2016) Airport 2014 2015 2016 Δ 14–15 Δ 15–16 Carriers 1 Miami, United States 407,800 443,800 470,000 8.8% 5.9% American, Avianca 2 Houston, United States 172,400 211,400 194,000 22.6% 8.2% United 3 Panama City, Panama 174,000 196,600 197,700 13.0% 1.1% Copa 4 San Salvador, El Salvador 165,600 175,900 145,000 6.2% 30.9% Avianca, Volaris 5 San José, Costa Rica 78,500 79,900 100,000 1.7% 25.1% Avianca, Copa, Volaris 6 Atlanta, United States 87,100 96,500 97,000 10.7% 0.5% Delta 7 Guatemala City, Guatemala 42,500 52,800 86,000 24.2% 62.9% Avianca, Copa 8 Mexico City, Mexico 3,500 45,700 52,000 1,222.8% 13.7% Aeroméxico Connect Source: Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure (MTI). Transportation Statistical Yearbook of Nicaragua (years 2014, 2015 and 2016)

Traffic share of airlines flying to MGA Airline Percentage of passengers transported (2015) Copa Airlines 31% Avianca El Salvador 20% American Airlines 15% United Airlines 14% Delta Air Lines 7% Spirit Airlines 6% Aeroméxico 3% Aero Caribbean 2% La Costeña 1% Conviasa 1% Nature Air 1%Total 100.0%

See also

List of airports in Nicaragua Transport in Nicaragua

References