Colonel Carlos Concha Torres Airport
{{Infobox airport
| name = Colonel Carlos Concha Torres Airport
| nativename =
| image = Colonel Carlos Concha Torres Airport, June 2015.jpg
| IATA = ESM
| ICAO = SETN
| type = Public
| owner =
| operator = Dirección General de Aviación Civil
| city-served = Esmeraldas, Ecuador
| location = Tachina, Esmeraldas Province, Ecuador
| pushpin_map = Ecuador
| pushpin_label = ESM
| pushpin_map_caption = Location of the airport in Ecuador
| elevation-f = 32
| elevation-m =
| coordinates = {{coord|00|58|40|N|79|37|36|W|type:airport}}
| website =
| metric-rwy = y
| r1-number = 19/01
| r1-length-m = 2555
| r1-length-f =
| r1-surface = Asphalt
| footnotes = Sources: GCM{{GCM|ESM|Esmeraldas}}
}}
Colonel Carlos Concha Torres Airport ({{langx|es|Aeropuerto Coronel Carlos Concha Torres}}) {{airport codes|ESM|SETN}} is an airport serving the Pacific coastal city of Esmeraldas, capital of the Esmeraldas Province of Ecuador. It is {{convert|3|km}} east of the city, across the Esmeraldas River in the parish of Tachina. Established in 1940 as General Rivadeneira Airport, the airport was renovated between 2012 and 2013, receiving a new terminal and a lengthened runway.
History
The airport was established on 25 March 1940, upon the upgrading of the runway.{{cite news | url=http://lahora.com.ec/index.php/noticias/show/1022462/-1/Libro_de_consulta_para_esmeralde%C3%B1os_.html#.V-hWoX-a3IU | title=Libro de consulta para esmeraldeños | work=La Hora | date=18 April 2010 | accessdate=25 September 2016 | language=Spanish | trans-title=Encyclopedia for the people of Esmeraldas}}{{cite thesis |last=Risco |first=Giannella |date=2014 |title=Remodelación de la terminal aérea del Aeropuerto General Rivadeneira en la provincia de Esmeraldas |page=16 |publisher=Universidad de las Américas (Ecuador) |url=http://dspace.udla.edu.ec/handle/33000/3174 |access-date=25 September 2016 |language=Spanish |trans-title=Renovation of the terminal at General Rivadeneira Airport in Esmeraldas Province}} It was originally named in honor of José Enrique Rivadeneira, an inspector general of the Ecuadorian navy who died in a 1939 plane crash.{{cite news | url=http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/singfreepressb19391009-1.2.32.aspx | title=Six dead in big Ecuador air crash | work=Singapore Free Press | date=8 October 1939 | accessdate=25 September 2016}}
The Ecuadorian government renovated the airport in 2014 as part of a plan to modernise the country's airports and attract more tourists and businesses to Ecuador.{{cite news | url=http://www.elciudadano.gob.ec/esmeraldas-tiene-un-nuevo-aeropuerto-internacional-para-potenciar-el-turismo/ | title=Esmeraldas tiene un nuevo aeropuerto internacional para potenciar el turismo | work=El Ciudadano (Ecuador) | date=14 January 2014 | accessdate=25 September 2016 | author=Iza, Mónica | language=Spanish | trans-title=Esmeraldas has a new airport terminal to promote tourism}} It also held a contest in which the people of Esmeraldas voted on a new namesake. Carlos Concha Torres (es), an army commander who led a war against President Leónidas Plaza in the 1910s, received the most votes.{{cite news | url=http://lahora.com.ec/index.php/noticias/show/1101507913#.V-c5L3-a3IU | title=Aeropuerto de Esmeraldas será ‘Carlos Concha Torres’ | work=La Hora | date=17 May 2013 | accessdate=24 September 2016}}
Facilities
The newly constructed passenger terminal was inaugurated on 14 January 2014 by President Rafael Correa. The terminal has a capacity for 275 passengers{{cite news | url=http://www.eluniverso.com/noticias/2013/11/21/nota/1779881/nuevo-aeropuerto-esmeraldas-se-encuentra-operando-lunes | title=Nuevo aeropuerto de Esmeraldas se encuentra operando desde el lunes | work=El Universo | date=21 November 2013 | accessdate=24 September 2016 | author=Toro, Manuel | language=Spanish | trans-title=New airport terminal in Esmeraldas operating since Monday}} and can handle 250,000 per year.{{cite news | url=http://www.eluniverso.com/noticias/2014/01/15/nota/2032576/inaugurado-aeropuerto-tachina | title=Inaugurado aeropuerto en Tachina | work=El Universo | date=15 January 2014 | accessdate=24 September 2016 | author=Toro, Manuel | language=Spanish | trans-title=Inaugurated airport terminal in Tachina}}
A new apron and air traffic control tower were also built,{{cite news | url=http://www.elcomercio.com/actualidad/ecuador/aeropuerto-de-esmeraldas-se-inauguro.html | title=El aeropuerto de Esmeraldas se inauguró y tiene vuelos a Colombia | work=El Comercio (Ecuador) | date=14 January 2014 | accessdate=25 September 2016 | language=Spanish | trans-title=Airport in Esmeraldas was inaugurated and has flights to Colombia}} and the runway was lengthened by {{convert|200|m}}. Additional work was completed on taxiways, fuel plant, and other facilities. The construction work cost over US$45 million and lasted 17 months.{{cite news | url=http://www.eltelegrafo.com.ec/noticias/informacion-general/1/correa-inaugura-nuevo-aeropuerto-en-esmeraldas | title=Correa inaugura aeropuerto en Esmeraldas | work=El Telégrafo (Ecuador) | date=14 January 2014 | accessdate=25 September 2016 | language=Spanish | trans-title=Correa inaugurates airport terminal in Esmeraldas}}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{commons-inline}}
- [http://ourairports.com/airports/SETN/pilot-info.html#general OurAirports - Esmeraldas]
- [https://skyvector.com/airport/SETN/Tachina-Coronel-Carlos-Concha-Airport SkyVector - Carlos Concha Airport]
- {{ASN|SETN|Esmeraldas}}
- {{NWS-current|SETN|Esmeraldas}}
{{portalbar|Ecuador|Aviation}}
{{Airports in Ecuador|state=collapsed}}
{{authority control}}