Punta del Este International Airport

Capitán de Corbeta Carlos A. Curbelo International Airport (Aeropuerto Internacional Capitán de Corbeta Carlos A. Curbelo) (IATA: PDP, ICAO: SULS), also known by its former official name of Laguna del Sauce International Airport, and as Punta del Este International Airport is an airport located on Laguna del Sauce, Maldonado department, Uruguay, about 20 km northwest of the Punta del Este peninsula. The main runway is 2,133 m long and 45 m wide, and is capable of receiving medium-sized aircraft, such as Boeing 737 and Airbus A320.

Capitán de Corbeta Carlos A. Curbelo International Airport Laguna del Sauce International Airport Punta del Este International Airport
IATA: PDP ICAO: SULS
Summary
Airport type	Public/Military
Operator	Aeropuertos Uruguay
Serves	Punta del Este
Location	Piriápolis, Maldonado, Uruguay
Elevation AMSL	95 ft / 29 m
Coordinates	34°51′20″S 55°05′40″W
Website	puntadeleste.aero
Map
PDP Location in Uruguay
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 01/19 1,606 5,269 Asphalt 08/26 2,130 6,988 Asphalt
Statistics (2018)
Passengers 165.960
Sources: WAD

History

In 1946, the Navy began to study the possibility of establishing an air-naval base on Laguna del Sauce. The nation's military dominance was strongly tied to its ability to effectively develop and operate giant seaplanes.

The technical reports determined that a base located on Laguna del Sauce would ensure Uruguay's control of the coast that extended from Montevideo to Arroyo Chuy. Naval Air Base No. 2 was named Lieutenant Commander Carlos Curbelo, head of the Navy Aeronautical Service, who had died in operation in 1942.

The Uruguayan State did not have the necessary financial resources to ensure the maintenance of the Airport, nor to renovate the facilities that had been used since the 1950s. In 1991, the acting government called for an international public tender to award the operation and maintenance, under a public works concession regime, of the air terminal.

The public works concession contract was signed on December 9, 1991. Consorcio Aeropuertos Internacionales S.A. It began operating the Punta del Este air terminal on December 24, 1993. From that moment on, it took charge of the provision of all services.

Airlines and destinations

Airlines	Destinations
Aerolíneas Argentinas	Buenos Aires–Aeroparque
Azul Brazilian Airlines	São Paulo–Guarulhos Seasonal: Campinas
Flybondi	Seasonal: Buenos Aires–Aeroparque, Buenos Aires–Ezeiza
LATAM Chile	Seasonal: Santiago de Chile
Paranair	Seasonal: Asunción