The new parking platform raises to 22 the number of aircraft that can be attended to simultaneously at the international airport in San Salvador.
Elsalvador.com reports that "...The work represents the first expansion project with a direct impact on customer service for passenger aircraft at San Salvador International Airport in the last 18 years and will be crucial in improving its operational capacity."
The private sector is urging the government to define and execute financing once and for all for the expansion works of San Salvador's airport, which already operates at "200% of its capacity."
Avianca representatives say the current capacity of Monsignor Romero airport has already been far exceeded and the terminal needs to be expanded in order to improve passenger services and increase air operations.
The infrastructure in most airports in Central America can not cover the increase in the number of air passengers transiting in the region.
In the region, traffic has increased by almost 80% over the last ten years going from 95 million to 170 million passengers. "Today, 30% of Latin American flights take off or land at congested airports, which constitutes one of the main difficulties in the development of the airline industry," noted an article in Eleconomista.net.
Without ruling out the idea of building their own airport terminal, the airline will wait to see how the modernization works initiated by the Executive Port Commission (CEPA) evolve.
Fidel Chavez Mena, vice president and legal representative of TACA, said that after meetings with representatives from CEPA, they have agreed to wait and see how the financing of the works evolves.
The government of El Salvador has welcomed an announcement by the President of the airline of their intention to build its own terminal at Comalapa.
The Technical Secretary of the Presidency, Alexander Segovia, in light of statements by AviancaTaca’s CEO Roberto Kriete said, "A few weeks ago, the president of TACA approached us. We have assembled a working group. They are interested in building a terminal themselves, and we are very interested. "
Roberto Kriete has announced that that the renovation of the El Salvador International Airport, one way or another, will be carried out within a maximum period of three years.
The chairman of the board of AviancaTaca told Laprensagrafica.com that Comalapa airport needs not only improvements, but a complete update according to a master plan designed by Aéroports de Paris.