After a prosperous 2024, El Salvador is launching one of its most ambitious and important infrastructure projects in recent years. With the construction of the Pacific airport, the country is banking not only on its modernisation strategy, but also on strengthening air connectivity.
The foundations of transformation
At the end of February, President Nayib Bukele laid the foundation stone, symbolically kicking off a project that promises to open up new prospects for tourism and investment.
The airport terminal will be located in the coastal region of the department of La Unión, some 190 km south-east of the capital, San Salvador. The design has been entrusted to the Mexican architect Fernando Romero, who envisages it as a state-of-the-art, high-level infrastructure in line with global standards. The airport expansion is planned in three phases:
1. Initially, with a 2,400-metre runway and two gates, it is expected to handle almost 300,000 passengers a year and 2,000 operations.
2. In a second phase, its capacity will be increased to 1 million passengers and 8,000 operations per year. The runway will be extended to 3,000 metres and eight new gates will be added, bringing the total to 10.
3. In the final phase, the airport will be able to handle 5 million passengers a year and 40,000 operations a year. The 3,000-metre runway will be retained and eight new gates will be added.
The initial investment is 386.4 million dollars, financed by the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF), the Spanish government and national funds. The first phase should be operational by the second half of 2027, with commercial flights initially. As work progresses, it will also accommodate private, cargo, aid, humanitarian and military flights.
A prosperous and sustainable future
One of the main aims of the airport is to stimulate economic growth in the eastern region of the country by becoming a strategic hub. It is expected to generate $300 million in its first year, and more than 10,000 direct and indirect jobs, a figure that could rise to 50,000 in just 10 years.
In the interests of sustainability, specific funds are allocated to the implementation of measures to mitigate the impact on the environment, such as the installation of barriers to control sediment and prevent water pollution, reforestation with native species to compensate for the loss of vegetation, and constant monitoring of air quality and noise in the surrounding areas.
A booming destination
In 2024, El Salvador saw an 81% increase in international tourist arrivals, as well as a 206% rise in tourism-related revenues, and established itself as the second fastest-growing tourist destination in the world, according to UN Tourism.
🌍✈️ Según el último barómetro de ONU Turismo, el sector ya ha recuperado el 99% con respecto a los niveles de 2019. En los últimos meses, los destinos con mejor rendimiento han sido:
🏆 Qatar: +137%
🏆 El Salvador: +81%
🏆 Albania: +80%
Significant progress has been made in terms of infrastructure, security and branding the country as a leading international destination, which has led to and encouraged massive investment in the tourism sector.
Our article: Tourism growth in El Salvador: an unprecedented boom
El Salvador is positioning itself as a success story in the region, enhancing its appeal to tourism professionals and travellers from all over the world. With this ambitious project, which will be added to the two existing international airports: San Óscar Arnuldo Romero y Galdámez and Ilopango, the country is set to take an important step towards positioning itself as one of the most attractive new destinations in the coming decades.
Photos : D.R. | AFP
