El Trompillo Airport is located in the south part of Santa Cruz, Bolivia, about 2 km (1.25 miles) away from the central plaza.

History

El Trompillo Airport was created in 1920 with a runway that measured no more than 800 meters (2,624 feet). The airport was given the name of “Captain Horacio Vasquez”, honoring a pilot who died in an accident flying from Argentina to La Paz. Nevertheless, because of the location, the airport with time was known as “El Trompillo”. For the first 65 years, it was the only airport in the city until, in 1984, the international airport of Viru Viru was constructed. Since then it has only operated local flights and the landing and departure of students of the Bolivian Air Force. The first airlines to use this airport were Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano, known as LAB, and Panagra. About 70 departures and arrivals of the Air Force, and small and large airlines are registered. For a while, from 1980 to 1985, the amount of airplanes registered increased due to a combat against drug traffic. As of 2019, there are currently no commercial passenger flights since the national carrier Transporte Aéreo Militar ceased operations.

Facilities

Aerocon had its head office in Hangar 93.

Incidents

Footnotes