Carrasco/General Cesáreo L. Berisso International Airport is the main international airport of Uruguay. It is the country's largest airport and is located in the Carrasco neighborhood of Montevideo. It has been cited as one of the most efficient and traveler-friendly airports in Latin America. The airport is named after Cesáreo L. Berisso, a pioneer of Uruguayan aviation, and it also hosts an air base of the Uruguayan Air Force.

History

The original passenger terminal was inaugurated in 1947. In 2003 the Uruguayan government transferred the administration, operation and maintenance of the airport to the private investment group Puerta del Sur S.A, which since then invested in several upgrades of the airport. On 3 February 2007, construction began on a new terminal parallel to Runway 06/24. Runway 01/19 was lengthened to 2250 m and the former Runway 10/28 was permanently closed because the new terminal cuts across it. The new terminal, designed by Uruguayan architect Rafael Viñoly, has the capacity to handle 3 million passengers a year, including a much larger parking area built for over 1200 vehicles. This new terminal building has four jetways, separate floors for arrivals and departures and a large viewing area on the top floor. The terminal has room for expansion for two additional jetways and a maximum capacity of 6 million passengers per year before the building would need actual enlargement. The new terminal was inaugurated on 5 October 2009 with official operations beginning on 29 December 2009. A new US$15 million cargo terminal was also constructed. Regular passenger flights were suspended in mid-March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Regular flights to Spain were resumed in July, and to São Paulo and Santiago in August. The airport serves as the main operational hub of cargo and charter passenger airline Air Class Líneas Aéreas.

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

Cargo

Statistics

Ground transportation

The airport is located 19 km from downtown Montevideo. The airport is served by public transit and a private taxi service which connect to Montevideo and Punta del Este.

Other facilities

The Oficina de Investigación y Prevención de Accidentes e Incidentes de Aviación (OIPAIA) of the National Civil Aviation and Aviation Infrastructure Direction (DINACIA) has its head office on the airport property.

Accidents and incidents

General Cesáreo Berisso Air Force Base

The General Cesareo Berisso Air Force Base is a base of the Uruguayan Air Force. It shares runways with the Carrasco International Airport. Most of its facilities are located just east of the old civilian terminal. It is named in honor of Cesáreo L. Berisso, a pioneer of Uruguayan aviation.

Air Brigade I

Air Brigade I, one of the three brigades of the Uruguayan Air Force, is stationed at the base. It was created as Aeronáutica n.º 1 in April 1936, when it was assigned 8 Potez 25 fighter aircraft. Air Brigade I comprises three units:

No.3 Squadron (Transportation)

No. 3 Squadron operates 4 aircraft types:

No.5 Squadron (Helicopters)

No.5 Squadron operates 3 helicopter types:

Colonel Jaime Meregalli Aeronautical Museum

Also on the base is the Colonel Jaime Meregalli Aeronautical Museum, with a hangar for static aircraft display, in addition to a building that exhibits aviation historical material.