Puerto Barrios Airport

Puerto Barrios Airport (Spanish: Aeropuerto de Puerto Barrios, IATA: PBR, ICAO: MGPB), formerly Izabal Air Base (Base Aérea de Izabal), serves the city of Puerto Barrios, the port of Santo Tomás de Castilla and the Guatemalan Caribbean. It is operated and administrated by Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil (DGAC).

Puerto Barrios Airport
Summary
Airport typeMilitary/Public
OperatorDGAC
ServesPuerto Barrios, Guatemala
Elevation AMSL33 ft / 10 m
Coordinates15°43′50″N 88°35′00″W
Map
PBR is located in Izabal Department
PBR
PBR
Location in Izabal Department
PBR is located in Guatemala
PBR
PBR
Location in Guatemala
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
12/30 2,707 8,881 Concrete
Statistics (2022)
Passengers17,140
Aircraft operations3,085
Source: WAD[1] DGAC[2]

History

Puerto Barrios Airport is located in the northern part of the city of Puerto Barrios, near the shore of Amatique Bay.

In the 1920s and 30s Puerto Barrios was a seaplane destination only; a first concrete runway was built by the United States Government during World War II for strategic reasons.[3] It was later used by the Guatemalan Air Force, known under the name "Base Aérea de Izabal". In 2002 the airport was equipped with a VOR-DME radio beacon with the help of COCESNA, the Central American Corporation for Air Navigation.[4] Being located near the port of Santo Tomás de Castilla, today the airport is of special interest for cruise ship operators, who carry passengers to important attractions throughout the country on chartered flights. Puerto Barrios has always been a logistics center, which is emphasized in the city seal, which depicts a ship, a train, an airplane, and a truck.

In January 2017, the airport was undergoing renovations. The DGCA was investing 1.5 million Guatemalan quetzals into the project, which it expected to complete by 28 March.[5]

Aviation in Puerto Barrios

Past
  • In 1925 SCADTA of Colombia made a historical journey with two Dornier Wal flyboats from Barranquilla to Palm Beach stopping in Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Puerto San José, Amatitlán, Puerto Barrios, Cozumel, Havana and Miami.
  • In 1928 a Curtiss Falcon supported by the Colombian government, called "Ricaurte" flew from New York City to Bogotá, stopping in Jacksonville, Havana, Puerto Barrios, Puerto Cabezas, Colón, Cartagena and Barranquilla. The plane suffered a mechanical failure in Puerto Barrios, which delayed it there for several days.[6]
  • In the 1930s, Pan American World Airways had scheduled flights from Miami to San Salvador stopping in Havana, Cozumel, Mérida, Belize and Puerto Barrios, using Sikorsky 40 flying boats.[7]

After World War II
  • In the 1950s and 60s, Aviateca, the former national airline, connected Puerto Barrios with other destinations in Guatemala.
  • Inter Regional, a regional subsidiary of Grupo TACA in Guatemala, offered scheduled flights to Guatemala City from 1999, using Cessna Grand Caravan aircraft.[8] There were up to two daily flights (TA 1911, TA 1920, 1923). Two times a week there was a scheduled stop at Rio Dulce airstrip on the incoming flight. Flying time to Guatemala City was scheduled with 1 hour, 05 minutes. There were also flights from Mundo Maya International Airport to San Pedro Sula stopping in Puerto Barrios. All scheduled flights were suspended in 2002 due to lack of demand.[9]

Airline and destination
AirlinesDestinations
TAG Airlines Guatemala City

Incidents

See also

References
  1. "Airport information for Puerto Barrios Airport". World Aero Data. Archived from the original on 2019-03-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) Data current as of October 2006.
  2. DGAC (2023). "ESTADÍSTICAS AERÓDROMOS" [STATISTICS OF AIRFIELDS] (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-07-03.
  3. Amandala Belize
  4. SkyVector Aeronautical Charts - IOS VOR
  5. Ramos, Saira (24 January 2017). "Firman convenio para renovar el aeropuerto de Puerto Barrios, Izabal" [Agreement signed to renovate the Puerto Barrios airport in Izabal]. Publinews (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  8. "TACA REGIONAL ARILINES | INTER - Schedules & Fares". Archived from the original on 2009-01-05. Retrieved 2007-10-18.
  9. La Prensa
  10. ASN
  11. "Jorge Palmieri".
  12. ASN Archived October 14, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
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