Viru Viru International Airport

Viru Viru International Airport (IATA: VVI, ICAO: SLVR) in Santa Cruz de la Sierra is Bolivia's largest international airport. Viru Viru handles domestic, regional, and international flights from Bolivia, North America, South America and Europe and is the hub for Bolivia's biggest airline Boliviana de Aviación. The airport is able to handle large aircraft such as the Boeing 747-400, Airbus A340-600 and Boeing 777-300ER.

Viru Viru International Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic
OperatorNAABOL
LocationSanta Cruz de la Sierra
Hub for
Focus city forBoliviana de Aviación
Elevation AMSL1,225 ft / 373 m
Coordinates17°38′41″S 63°08′07″W
Websitehttps://www.naabol.gob.bo
Map
VVI is located in Bolivia
VVI
VVI
Location of airport in Bolivia
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
16/34 11,483 3,500 Concrete
Statistics (2015)
Passengers2,384,746
Source: SABSA,[1] Airport Statistics[2]

History

The idea of having an airport in the city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra was conceived in 1965 by General René Barrientos,[3][4] former president of Bolivia, with the intention of creating an intercontinental airport. Shortly thereafter, construction of the airport began until it was completed and inaugurated in 1983, to replace the obsolete El Trompillo Airport. Upon its inauguration, Viru Viru became a main gateway for international flights. Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano used Viru Viru as a hub before ceasing operations in 2008. On 1 March 1997, the government of Bolivia entered into a 25-year contract with Airport Group International to operate the three largest airports in Bolivia — El Alto International Airport in La Paz, Jorge Wilstermann International Airport in Cochabamba and Viru Viru International Airport. Servicios de Aeropuertos Bolivianos Sociedad Anonima (SABSA) was created to operate the concession. In 1999, Airport Group International was purchased by TBI plc. In 2004, Spain's Abertis/AENA purchased TBI. SABSA has been substituted in March of 2022 by the newly established government agency Navegación Aérea y Aeropuertos Bolivianos (NAABOL). This state-owned agency now manages the airports in Bolivia. [5]

Name

The name "Viru Viru" originates from the indigenous Guarani language spoken in the area. Most likely, "Viru Viru" refers to a toponym or a distinctive geographical feature after which the airport was named.There is some ambiguity about the meaning of it based on sources in the internet. Different meanings have been proposed:

  • Some say it means "round object" or "round place", referring to a nearby hill that has a circular shape, resembling a round object.
  • Others say it refers to a river that has now disappeared and was located 13 kilometres from the city. The tributary was in the same pampa where the airport was built.[6]
  • Lastly, it could mean "pampa, plain", which was the name of the whole geographical area of the place where the airport was built.[7]

Today, some researchers claim that the correct spelling of the term would be "Birubiru".[8]


Airlines and destinations

Passenger
AirlinesDestinations
Aerolíneas ArgentinasBuenos Aires–Aeroparque
Air EuropaMadrid
AviancaBogotá
Boliviana de Aviación Asunción, Buenos Aires–Ezeiza, Caracas (begins October 31, 2023),[9] Cochabamba, Havana (begins October 26, 2023),[10] La Paz, Lima, Madrid, Miami, Oruro, São Paulo–Guarulhos, Sucre, Tarija, Trinidad
ConviasaCaracas
Copa AirlinesPanama City–Tocumen
EcoJetCobija, Guayaramerín, Riberalta, Sucre, Tarija, Trinidad
Gol Transportes AéreosSão Paulo–Guarulhos
LATAM ChileSantiago de Chile
LATAM PerúLima
ParanairAsunción

Cargo
AirlinesDestinations
TAB - Transportes Aéreos Bolivianos Cochabamba, La Paz, Miami
AerCaribe Lima

Statistics

Top destinations
Busiest international routes from VVI
(2015–2016)[11]
Rank City Passengers Top carriers  % Change
1 United States Miami, United States 386,496 American Airlines, Boliviana de Aviación Decrease 4%
2 Brazil São Paulo (Guarulhos), Brazil 372,773 Boliviana de Aviación, Gol Airlines Increase 10%
3 Argentina Buenos Aires (Ezeiza), Argentina 358,943 Aerolíneas Argentinas, Boliviana de Aviación Increase 43%
4 Spain Madrid, Spain 348,603 Air Europa, Boliviana de Aviación Increase 5%
5 Panama Panama City, Panama 278,277 Copa Airlines Increase 15%
6 Peru Lima, Peru 268,584 Avianca Ecuador, LATAM Perú Increase 26%
7 Chile Iquique, Chile 94,733 Amaszonas, LATAM Chile Decrease 7%
8 Paraguay Asunción, Paraguay 79,962 Amaszonas, LATAM Paraguay Decrease 13%

References
  1. "Aeropuerto Intl. El Alto - Bienvenidos a la Paz". Archived from the original on 31 May 2011. Retrieved 17 December 2015.
  2. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 November 2014. Retrieved 25 October 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. Arce San Martín, Santiago R. (16 April 2008), "Liderazgo en Bolivia", Opinión Bolivia, retrieved 9 December 2022
  4. "Bolivia sin una verdadera puerta de conexión al mundo". Datos-Bo. 13 June 2018. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  5. "Gobierno anuncia que SABSA pasará a NAABOL y ofrece a trabajadores formar parte de la institución".
  6. ultracasas.com - 5 datos que NO CONOCÍAS acerca del Aeropuerto de VIRU VIRU
  7. https://www.flickriver.com/photos/dan59/4540707944/ flickriver.com - Aeropuerto Internacional Viru Viru
  8. ultracasas.com - 5 datos que NO CONOCÍAS acerca del Aeropuerto de VIRU VIRU
  9. "Boliviana De Aviación Announces New Routes To Asunción, Caracas, and Havana".
  10. "Boliviana De Aviación Announces New Routes To Asunción, Caracas, and Havana".
  11. "Tráfico de pasajeros – Origen/Destino Servicio Regular Internacional" (PDF). Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil (Bolivia) (in Spanish). January 2017. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
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