The new airport in Quito......people are complaining. Our advise...go through Guayaquil.....or arrive into Quito on the TRAIN.

Note: We are seeing more tourists arrive recently into Quito on the TRAIN from other parts in  Ecuador.  Ecuador has recently innaugurated a new train system (not from the airport)  so we will update you further on this as information develops. Meanwhile....read below.....

This from Gary Scott at www.garyscott.com.

Will Cuenca airport become an international airport?
Stephen Milden head of Ateam Ecuador in Cuenca sent this report.
International Flights direct to Cuenca?
 
Since the new airport opened in Quito on February 20th, a great deal of controversy has ensued largely due to its location in the Tababela parish approximately one to one and half hours driving time outside of Quito. The old airport was only minutes from downtown and as such allowed people from Cuenca needing to do business in Quito the easy option of flying up for the day. Now they face travel time of as much as an hour and a half to get from the airport to the city center. Additionally domestic flights are parked on the tarmac requiring passengers to be shuttled from the terminal which has taken as long as 45 minutes according to reports.

 Something that has not changed is that international flights arrive after domestic flights have ended for the day necessitating an overnight. A few entrepreneurs managed to get a some rooms available  close to the new airport, but nowhere near enough to meet the demand without traveling a good  distance. The simple solution would be to have domestic carriers operate at least one flight to connect with international arrivals. Why that hasn’t happened is anybody’s guess.  If I were a betting man I’d wager that the transportation companies who have a strong lobby and stand to make a good bit of money shuttling passengers back and forth to the city might have something to do with why.


So what does this mean for people traveling to Cuenca? Given that about 80% of the traffic in and out of Cuenca flies between Quito and Cuenca, the conversation is that Cuenca should become the next international airport. According to Quito airport consultant Carlos Moreno, “Cuenca would be the next logical candidate because of the large number of immigrants from Azuay and Loja provinces who live in the U.S., and because it is the third busiest airport in the country.” So will Cuenca become the next international airport in Ecuador, stay tuned.
Stephen Milden stephen@cuencaliving.com