Carrasco/General Cesáreo L. Berisso International Airport is the main international airport of Uruguay. It also is the country's largest airport and it was located in the namegiving Carrasco neighborhood, later in time the region formed part of Canelones, actually located in Ciudad de la Costa. It has been cited as one of the most efficient and traveler-friendly airports in Latin America. The airport is named in honour of :es:Cesáreo L. Berisso|Cesáreo L. Berisso, a pioneer of Uruguayan aviation, and it also hosts an air base of the Uruguayan Air Force.
History
The original passenger terminal was inaugurated in 1947. In 2003 the Uruguayan government transferred the administration, operation and maintenance of the airport to the private investment group Puerta del Sur S.A, which since then invested in several upgrades of the airport. On 3 February 2007, construction began on a new and modern terminal that is located parallel to Runway 06/24. The new terminal, designed by Uruguayan born architect Rafael Viñoly, has the capacity to handle 3 million passengers a year, including a much larger parking area built for over 1200 vehicles. This new terminal building has four jetways, separate floors for arrivals and departures and a large viewing area on the top floor. The terminal has room for expansion for two additional jetways and a maximum capacity of 6 million passengers per year before the building would need actual enlargement. The new terminal was inaugurated on 5 October 2009 with official operations beginning on 29 December 2009. A new US$15 million cargo terminal was also constructed. Regular passenger flights were suspended in mid March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There is also a GA zone, with a Cessna Maintenance Facility and several LAR 141 Flight Schools which operate in this Airport as homebase.
Facilities
Runway 06/24 has been strengthened and lengthened to, which allows airlines to operate non-stop flights to the United States and Europe. Runway 01/19 was lengthened to and the former Runway 10/28 is permanently closed because the new terminal cuts across it. The Runway 06/24 length includes a displaced threshold on Runway 06, and a displaced threshold on Runway 24. The Carrasco VOR-DME is located on the field. There are several non-directional beacons around the airport associated with instrument approach procedures.
Airlines and destinations
Passenger
Cargo
Statistics
Ground transportation
The airport is located from downtown Montevideo. The airport is served by public transit and a private taxi service which connect to Montevideo and Punta del Este. The trip time to Montevideo by car is 30–45 minutes, while by bus it is 1 hour and 15 minutes. The cost of the trip depends on the destination point and is arranged in the airport or booked online.
18 September 1957: a Real Transportes AéreosConvair 440-62 registration PP-AQE belonging to Transportes Aéreos Nacional, flying from Porto Alegre to Montevideo had an accident during touch down operations in Montevideo. While on a night landing procedure under fog, the aircraft undershot the runway by 1,030m, causing the left and middle gear to hit an earth bank bordering a highway. The right wing touched the ground and further on the aircraft lost both propellers. The right wing then broke off. One crew member died.
The General Cesareo Berisso Air Base is a base of the Uruguayan Air Force. It shares runways with the Carrasco International Airport. Most of its facilities are located just east of the old civilian terminal. It is named in honor of Cesáreo L. Berisso :es:Cesáreo L. Berisso|Cesáreo L. Berisso, a pioneer of Uruguayan aviation.
Air Brigade I
Air Brigade I, one of the three brigades of the Uruguayan Air Force, is stationed at the base. It was created as Aeronáutica n.º 1 in April 1936, when it was assigned 8 Potez 25fighter aircraft. Air Brigade I comprises three units:
Also on the base is the Cnel. Jaime Meregalli Aeronautical Museum, with a hangar for static aircraft display, in addition to a building that exhibits aviation historical material.
