URUGUAY. At a ceremony last week graced by the President of the Republic, Luis Lacalle Pou, Aeropuertos Uruguay inaugurated the new Carmelo International Airport in Colonia.
The formal opening on 19 December followed an extensive modernisation that included a new 770sq m air terminal developed by Estudio Gómez Platero and first-class aeronautical infrastructure.
The event was attended by the Minister of National Defense, Javier García; the Mayor of Colonia, Carlos Moreira; and the President of Corporación América, Eduardo Eurnekian, among other national and departmental dignitaries.
The modernisation includes a Dufry duty free store and an extensive Narbona food & beverage space.
A second phase of works is scheduled for 2023.
“We set ourselves the goal of having Carmelo have this airport up and running for the season and we did it,” said Diego Arrosa, CEO of Aeropuertos Uruguay, which is part of Corporación América Airports.
“Today we have a first class airport, soon to open the doors of Carmelo to the region and the world. The opening has generated a lot of interest and we have received many inquiries both locally and regionally about the operation.
“At Corporación América Airports, we have been committed to Uruguay for almost 20 years and this milestone reaffirms that promise we made from the first day to contribute to the development of our country. We are proud of our great team, which is the key to making all this happen.”
Corporación América Airports CEO Martin Eurnekian stressed the positive impact that airports have for countries and communities, as they are engines of development and growth. “We are proud to know that all this was achieved in the framework of the toughest years in the history of our industry, in a very complex global context,” he said.
In addition to Carmelo International Airport, Aeropuertos Uruguay, which is part of the Corporación América Airports group, manages the airports of Carrasco, Punta del Este, Rivera, Salto, Durazno, Melo and Paysandú.
The company announced that during the coming year it plans to start the modernisation works of the Rivera and Salto airports. ✈
