Conama receives Region IV airport EIS

The EIS for a US$25mn project to build a new new international airport for Chile's Region IV has been submitted to national environment authority Conama, Diario El Dia quoted regional public works secretary Dario Valenzuela as saying. EIS observations can be presented within 60 days, after which Conama will review comments and issue a statement in another 60 days. The project involves a 20-year concession near Tongoy, south of regional capital La Serena, and would include a 3,500 sq. m passenger terminal, a 2.2km runway, taxiways and aprons with capacity for four Airbus A320 aircraft and a control tower. Traffic is expected to hit 430,000 passengers/year by 2005. The project falls under the public works ministry's US$1.93bn, 2003-2004 concessions portfolio.