Expansion works completed on El Salvador international airport

El Salvador's autonomous executive port commission (CEPA), the federal authority in charge of operating airport services in the country, has inaugurated a new aircraft parking platform at the Monseñor Oscar Arnulfo Romero international airport serving capital San Salvador.

The new platform has capacity to host four-five class C and D aircrafts, and as a result of its construction, the capacity of the airport's apron will now increase to 22 parking slots available, reported local news outlet El Salvador.com.

The works are the first project completed in 18 years to have a direct impact on increasing the airport's capacity to handle passenger aircraft.

The works started in June this year and required a US$5.77mn investment, US$2.8mn of which was provided by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) through the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS).

The platform was built on an area of 43,600m2 and over two thirds of the surface was paved with hydraulic concrete.

Additional works required for the project included LED lighting on four towers for night time operations, as well as signaling in the maneuvering area.

The works are part of a comprehensive airport expansion project, which also entails the construction of four passenger waiting halls. CEPA launched two tenders at the beginning of the year to complete the expansion project, one for the construction of the waiting halls and one for the parking platform.

A previous plan to expand the airport through public-private partnership financing was officially scratched in late 2015.