Colombia Gets 57 New Airline Routes in 2015, Bogotá’s El Dorado International Gets New Air Traffic Control Tower

Colombia’s civil aviation authority, Aeronautica Civil, also known as Aerocivil,  approved 57 new airline routes requested by airlines in 2015, including 34 national and 23 international routes. From the dates of approval, airlines have up to 180 days to provide service on those routes, but most have begun operation. The latest routes were approved in November and December by Aerocivil’s “Grupo Evaluador de Proyectos Aerocomerciales” (GEPA), or the Aerocommercial Projects Evaluation Group.

“Today Colombia has more airline connections and that permits all regions and all users to benefit with more alternatives in airlines and flights, and with more connections, destinations, and frequency,” said Gustavo Alberto Lenis (above), Aeronautica Civil’s director.

New Control Tower At Bogotá’s El Dorado International Airport

Aerocivil also has announced the completion and activation of a new air traffic control tower and aeronautics management center in Bogotá, at Colombia’s flagship El Dorado International Airport. Conceived in 2011, the 30 month, $50 million USD project was completed by Torre Muisca Consortium, a syndicate of contractors. The new tower and control center was built as a response to the growing demand and traffic of flights and passengers through El Dorado International Airport.

At 84 meters in height, and with an internal area of 5,430 square meters (58,448 square feet), the steel and concrete tower was designed with motifs evocative of the Muisca indigenous culture, people that still exist today, in their ancient homeland, part of which is now the city of Bogotá.

Tower characteristics:

El Dorado International Airport’s (Bogotá) Muisca Tower under final stages of construction.

• Visual ground control cabin with 360-degree views and 16 controller positions
• Technical support area
• Aeronautics meteorology stations
• Equipment room for navigation and stationary avionics equipment
• Antenna platform
• Employee lounge

The Centro de Gestión Aeronáutico de Colombia (CGAC), or Aeronautics Management Center of Colombia (pictured above), also part of the construction Project, is a 9,355 square meter (100,696 square feet) circular complex consisting of six interconnected buildings, including integrated power generation, air conditioning, and water supply. A fortified tunnel connects it with the control tower.

The CGAC is an advanced control center with radar facilities, IP telephony, redundant power and electronics, navigation, meteorology, recording and security systems, with an integrated videowall display. The CGAC is interconnected with all other air traffic control (ATC) facilities in the country, allowing real-time monitoring of any local situations or conditions elsewhere in Colombia.

“For years, the airport sector looked like a photo where decades passed without investing in the airports. Today, we are working practically on all of them to modernize and guarantee better efficiency in air operations, and the proof of that change is that we are inaugurating this advanced control tower and CGAC,” said Lenis.