La Paz International Airport (Spanish: Aeropuerto Internacional de La Paz); officially Aeropuerto Internacional Manuel Márquez de León(Manuel Márquez de León International Airport) (IATA: LAP, ICAO: MMLP) is an international airport located in La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico, situated along the western shore of the Gulf of California. It serves as the primary air traffic gateway to the city of La Paz and is a focus city for the regional airline Calafia Airlines. The airport also accommodates military facilities for the Mexican Army and the Mexican Navy and supports various tourism, flight training, and general aviation activities.
Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico owns and operates the airport, and it is named in honor of Manuel Márquez de León, a Mexican politician, military leader, and intellectual originally from this state.[2] The airport served as the headquarters and hub for Aero California from its foundation in 1960 until its bankruptcy in 2006.[3][4]
The airport offers nonstop flights to many major cities in Mexico and numerous airports in Northwestern Mexico. It plays a significant role in a heavily traveled air corridor connecting the Baja California Peninsula to the mainland Mexico states of Sinaloa and Sonora. In 2022, the airport handled 1,079,600 passengers, marking the first time it reached the milestone of one million passengers in a year. Traffic increased to 1,115,800 passengers in 2023.[1]
Facilities
La Paz Airport control tower
The airport has a main runway 18/36 which is 2,500 metres (8,200 ft) long. The passenger terminal houses both arrival and departure facilities for domestic and international flights within a building with an area of 5,180 square metres (55,800 sq ft). It provides typical services found at a regional airport, including check-in counters for domestic and international flights, VIP lounges, parking areas, car rental services, taxi stands, and a departure concourse with three gates. The apron has nine stands capable of accommodating narrow-body aircraft. Additionally, the airport supports logistics and courier companies and has a separate terminal dedicated to general and executive aviation.
Air Force Base No. 9 (Spanish: Base Aérea Militar No. 9 La Paz, B.C.S.) (BAM-9) is situated to the west of the runway 18 end. This base includes an apron measuring 140 by 65 metres (459 by 213 ft), two hangars, and facilities for Mexican Air Force personnel. This air base is the home of Squadron 203, which currently operates Pilatus PC-7 Turbo Trainer aircraft.[5][6]
Aircraft parking position
La Paz Airport also accommodates La Paz Naval Air Base (Spanish: Base Aeronaval de La Paz), situated to the north of BAM-9. This base includes hangars, aircraft stands, and military facilities owned by the Mexican Navy. These facilities are also home to the School of Naval Aviation, which is part of the Center for Naval Aeronautical Studies.[7]
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