Capitán de Corbeta Carlos A. Curbelo International Airport


Capitán Corbeta C. A. Curbelo International Airport , formerly called Laguna del Sauce International Airport, is an airport serving Punta del Este, Uruguay, located in the adjoining municipality of Maldonado. It is operated by Consorcio Aeropuertos Internacionales S.A.. The airport is northwest of Maldonado.
The terminal building, designed by architect Carlos Ott, was inaugurated in 1997. Gabriel Gurméndez Armand-Ugon, former Uruguayan Minister of Transport and Public Works, has served as General Manager of the airport.
The airport is both civil and military. The National Navy of Uruguay has its main base here for the naval aviation arm.
The Curbelo VOR-DME and non-directional beacon are located on the field.

Traffic

The airport mainly serves passengers traveling to neighbouring Punta del Este, although it also serves cities surrounding the Maldonado area. Because of its proximity to the Punta del Este beach resort, it is sometimes called Punta del Este International Airport by passengers using it.
The airport typically sees a growth in passenger numbers during the southern hemisphere summer months. Most of the passengers who fly to the airport come from Buenos Aires. International service is available from Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay as well.
The airport can handle many types of aircraft including wide-bodies, although usually mid-size jets like the Boeing 737 and Airbus 320, and turbo-props like the ATR 42 are used in this airport, complementing nearby El Jagüel Airport, which also serves Punta del Este.

Airlines and destinations

Statistics

The airport is currently the second busiest airport in Uruguay, both in passenger service and scheduled flights.
Traffic200820072006200520042003200220012000
Passengersn.d.210,988217,006228,401230,649174,167150,394210,671225,968
Cargo n.d.n.d.285361n.d.n.d.n.d.1113