Chile's Airports Plan 2025-2030: A $3.3 Billion Investment to Boost Aviation Network
The Government of Chile has presented the Airports Plan 2025-2030, a comprehensive plan aimed at strengthening the country's airport network and generating greater connectivity and tourism. The plan, led by the Minister of Public Works, Jessica López, and the National Director of Airports, Claudia Silva, involves the intervention of 19 airports across the country to improve airport infrastructure, including passenger terminals, runways, and ground equipment.
The project is being driven through the Directorate of Airports and the concession system, with a total investment of $3.3 billion. The Directorate of Airports will contribute $1.5 billion for works on the runways, aircraft platforms, and taxiways, among others, while the concessionaire companies will invest $1.8 billion for works on the terminals of the twelve airports under this model.
The Minister of Public Works, Jessica López, emphasized the importance of the airport network in ensuring the connectivity of the territory, highlighting that the network allows for faster connections with higher prices than by land. She also noted that the airport network has developed enormously over the past decades, but there is still a need to review and improve the situation.
The project includes several current works, such as the expansion of the Diego Aracena Airport in Iquique, which is in its final phase and will begin operations this summer. The airport is expected to become the second most important airport in Chile, after Arturo Merino Benítez.
Other ongoing projects include the construction of a temporary terminal at Mataveri, Rapa Nui, with an investment of $112 million, and the expansion and improvement of the Teniente Marsh airfield in Antarctica, with an investment of $53 million. Additionally, works will begin at the Torquemada airfield to enable it to receive commercial flights, with an investment of $82.9 million.
The Airports Plan 2025-2030 is a significant investment in Chile's aviation network, aimed at improving connectivity and tourism in the country. The plan is expected to have a positive impact on the country's economy and will help to position Chile as a major player in the region's aviation industry.
