José Martí International Airport

José Martí International Airport
Aeropuerto José Martí
IATA: HAV – ICAO: MUHA
Summary
Airport type Public
Operator ECASA S.A.
Serves Havana, Cuba
Location Boyeros Municipality
Hub for Cubana de Aviación
Aero Caribbean
Aerogaviota
Elevation AMSL 64 m / 210 ft
Coordinates 22°59′21″N 082°24′33″W / 22.98917°N 82.40917°W / 22.98917; -82.40917Coordinates: 22°59′21″N 082°24′33″W / 22.98917°N 82.40917°W / 22.98917; -82.40917
Website http://www.havana-airport.org/
Map
MUHA

Location in Cuba

Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
06/24 4,000 13,123 Asphalt
Statistics (2008)
Passengers 4,000,000[1][2]
Source: Aerodrome chart[3]

José Martí International Airport (IATA: HAV, ICAO: MUHA), sometimes known by its former name Rancho-Boyeros Airport, is an international airport located 15 km (9 mi) southwest of Havana, Cuba, and is a hub for Cubana de Aviación, Aerogaviota and Aero Caribbean, and former Latin American hub for Aeroflot Soviet Airlines.[4] It is Cuba's main international and domestic gateway, and serves several million passengers each year. The airport is operated by Empresa Cubana de Aeropuertos y Servicios Aeronáuticos (ECASA).

The airport lies in the municipality of Boyeros and connects Havana with the rest of the Caribbean, North, Central and South America, Europe and one destination each in Africa and Asia. It is named in memory of patriot and poet José Martí.

In the 1960s the airport was bombed by B-26 aircraft from Brigade 2506, a CIA-sponsored group of Cuban exiles attempting to liberate Cuba from Fidel Castro. Cubans are not allowed to own aircraft or use the airport for either private or commercial flight. Only government-owned aircraft are allowed to use the facilities. Today, Copa Airlines is the foreign airline with most flights to the airport, operating 34 flights a week (roughly 5 daily flights) from Panama City, Panama and Bogotá, Colombia.

History

The current José Martí Airport in 1930 replaced the Columbia Airfield, which was the first airport to serve Havana. The original name of the airport, Rancho Boyeros, meaning the "(Bull) Drover Ranch", was in reference to the name of the plains/territory where the airport was being built. It was known as the Rancho Boyeros because in colonial times a local family had built a thatched hut and provided meals and an inn to the weary drovers that brought agricultural products to the capital from Batabanó and Vuelta Abajo.

To give a progressive environment to the airport, the old ranch homes were transformed into a small town that would serve as an industrial, livestock, agriculture and commercial centre, rising comfortable homes, an industrial technical school, a paint factory and other facilities. The town today is known as the Boyeros Municipality.

Beginnings

International service in the 1950s

Recent history

Aeroflot Ilyushin 96 at Terminal 3
Cubana Ilyushin Il-96 on the ramp

In 1961, diplomatic relations with the United States deteriorated substantially and with the United States embargo against Cuba, airlines from the United States were not permitted to operate regular scheduled flights to the airport. That year, two days prior to the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion organized by the CIA with the participation of Cuban exiles, Douglas A-26 Invader aircraft from Brigade 2506 bombarded José Martí Airport and Antonio Maceo Airport in Santiago de Cuba. Special charter service to the United States has been allowed in recent years, but must be operated by travel companies licensed by the U.S. government. As part of the Cuban Thaw, regularly scheduled commercial service to and from the United States will begin again in the fall of 2016, pending final Cuban government approval.[6]

Because of Cuba's relationship with the Soviet Union, the airport during the 1970s and 1980s enjoyed the presence of many Eastern Bloc airline companies, such as Aeroflot, Czechoslovak Airlines, Interflug and LOT Polish Airlines. In 1977 an Aeroflot Ilyushin Il-62 operating a scheduled flight from Moscow to Havana via Frankfurt and Lisbon crashed after takeoff from Lisbon, killing 68 of the 70 on board and one person on the ground. In 1989 a second Ilyushin Il-62, operated by Cubana, crashed after takeoff. All of the 115 passengers and 11 crew members as well as 45 persons on the ground were killed.

In 1988, Terminal 2 was constructed in anticipation of future charter flights to the United States. In the 1990s the special charter flights were approved by the US government, to operate from Miami for Cuban citizens living in the United States that have close relatives in Cuba. Today, various airlines operate non-stop scheduled charter service between Havana and Miami. Terminal 2 was remodelled and expanded in 2010.

On December 31, 1997 a Concorde landed in Cuba for the first time, landing at José Martí Airport. The Air France flight London-Paris-Barbados-Havana was received at the airport by Fidel Castro who boarded the aircraft and greeted the crew and passengers. On April 26 the following year, the new International Terminal 3 was inaugurated by Canada's Prime Minister Jean Chrétien and Cuba's ex-president Fidel Castro. In 2002 Air Freight Logistics Enterprise (ELCA S.A.) opened José Martí's first freight terminal known as the Aerovaradero Freight Terminal. The terminal has a 600 t (590 long tons; 660 short tons) capacity, 2,000 m3 (71,000 cu ft) of space in two refrigeration and freezing chambers, with humidity and gas controls.

In 2007, three young recruits who deserted from the Cuban army tried to hijack a commercial passenger aircraft aiming to defect to the United States. At Terminal 1, the would-be hijackers killed one of the hostages, a lieutenant colonel.[7]

Terminals

There are currently four passenger terminals in use at the airport, plus a freight terminal.[8] Terminal 1 is used primarily for domestic flights. Terminal 2 opened in 1988, primarily for charter flights to the United States. Ten years later on April 27, 1998, the International Terminal 3 was opened. International Terminal 3 offers many modern facilities and jetways that the former international Terminal 1 did not provide. Terminal 5 is operated by Aerocaribbean.

For transfer between terminals, bus services are offered.

Terminal 1

Domestic Terminal 1

Domestic Terminal 1 used to be the main international and domestic terminal building in the airport prior of the opening of terminal 2 and 3-which was constructed in 1998. The terminal is located on the east side of runway 06. It is now used primarily for domestic flights.

Terminal 2

International Charters Terminal 2 handles mainly schedule charter flights to and from Miami, Tampa, Ft. Lauderdale and New York for US residents with special permission from the United States government and Cuban citizens with US visas, the scheduled charters are operated by Gulfstream Air Charters, ABC Charters, Marazul Charters, CTS Charters and C & T Charters. The terminal is located on the north side, just in front of the threshold of runway 24. It was constructed in 1988 when the first charter flights after the revolution were opened from Miami. There are bars, bookshops, newsagents and also a restaurant on the second floor, as well as car rental.

In 2010 Terminal 2 went through remodeling and expansion.

Terminal 3

Terminal 3 check-in area

International Terminal 3 is the main international terminal which was opened in 1998. It is the largest and most modern of all terminals. Ticketing and departures are located on the upper level, arrivals and baggage carousels are located on the lower level. There are several car rentals located in the Arrivals Area.

Terminal 4

This terminal handles freight.

Terminal 5

Aerocaribbean Terminal 5 is mainly used by Aerocaribbean, but Aerotaxi, which is a Cuban-based charter airline, is also present. In 2010 all flights from the United States were temporarily handled at this terminal due to construction and remodeling at Terminal 2.

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

AirlinesDestinationsTerminal
Aerocaribbean Cayo Coco, Holguín, Managua, San Pedro Sula, Santiago de Cuba 1, 5
Aeroflot Moscow–Sheremetyevo 3
Aerogaviota Cayo Coco, Cayo Largo del Sur, Cayo Santa María, Holguín, Kingston–Norman Manley, Montego Bay, Nassau, Santiago de Cuba 1, 3
Aerotaxi Santa Clara, Trinidad, Cienfuegos, Sancti Spiritus, Cayo Largo del Sur 5
Aeroméxico Cancún, Mexico City 3
Air Berlin Düsseldorf 3
Air Canada Rouge Toronto–Pearson 3
Air Caraïbes Paris–Orly (begins December 16, 2016),[9] Pointe-à-Pitre 3
Air China Beijing–Capital, Montréal–Trudeau 3
Air Europa Madrid 3
Air France Paris–Charles de Gaulle 3
Air Transat Seasonal: Montréal–Trudeau 3
Alaska Airlines Los Angeles (begins January 5, 2017)[10] 3
Alitalia Rome-Fiumicino[11] 3
American Airlines Charlotte, Miami[12]
3
Austrian Airlines Seasonal: Vienna[13] 3
Avianca Bogotá 3
Avianca El Salvador San Salvador 3
Avianca Peru Lima 3
Bahamasair Nassau 3
Blue Panorama Airlines Milan–Malpensa, Rome–Fiumicino 3
Cayman Airways Grand Cayman 3
Condor Frankfurt, Munich 3
Conviasa Caracas 3
Copa Airlines Panama City 3
Cubana de Aviación Baracoa, Bayamo, Bogotá, Buenos Aires–Ezeiza, Camagüey, Cancún, Caracas, Cayo Coco, Cayo Largo del Sur, Ciego de Ávila, Guantánamo, Holguín, Madrid, Managua, Manzanillo, Mexico City, Moa, Montréal–Trudeau, Nueva Gerona, Paris–Orly, Port-au-Prince,[14] San José, Santa Clara, Santiago de Cuba, Santo Domingo–Las Américas, Toronto–Pearson, Victoria de las Tunas 1, 3
Delta Air Lines Atlanta, Miami, New York–JFK[15] 3
Eastern Air Lines1 Charter: Miami, Tampa 2
Edelweiss Air Zürich 3
Eurowings
operated by SunExpress Deutschland 		Cologne/Bonn 3
Evelop Airlines Madrid 3
Frontier Airlines Miami[16][17] 2
Finnair Charter: Helsinki 3
Iberia Madrid 3
Insel Air Curaçao 3
Insel Air Aruba Aruba 3
InterCaribbean AirwaysProvidenciales 3
InterjetCancún, Mérida, Mexico City, Monterrey 3
JetBlue Airways Fort Lauderdale,[18] New York–JFK,[18] Orlando[18]
 3
KLM Amsterdam 3
LATAM Perú Lima 3
Meridiana Milan–Malpensa 3
Neos Seasonal Charter: Milan–Malpensa 3
PAWA Dominicana Santo Domingo-Las Americas 3
Southwest Airlines Fort Lauderdale, Tampa (both begin December 12, 2016)[19] 3
Spirit Airlines Fort Lauderdale[20] 3
Sun Country Airlines1 Charter: Miami, New York–JFK 2
Swift Air Charter: Baltimore, Fort Myers, Miami, Orlando, San Juan, Tampa 2
TAAG Angola Airlines Luanda 3
TAME Quito 3
Turkish Airlines Istanbul-Atatürk (begins 20 December 2016)[21] 3
United Airlines Houston–Intercontinenal,[22] Newark[22] 2
Virgin Atlantic London–Gatwick 3
Wingo Bogota 3
Notes

Cargo

AirlinesDestinations
Cubana Cargo
operated by Cargojet Airways 		Toronto–Pearson
Sky King, Inc. Miami

Accidents and incidents

See also

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.

  1. ↑ "Aeropuerto de La Habana Cuba". Airportsdata.net. 7 November 2016.
  2. ↑ http://centreforaviation.com/analysis/havana-jose-marti-international-airport-exciting-times-and-the-opportunity-to-become-a-regional-hub-274090
  3. ↑ "Jose Marti Airport diagram" (PDF). iacc.gov.cu (in Spanish). May 10, 2007. Retrieved August 24, 2011.
  4. ↑ "COMPANY NEWS - Aeroflot May Shift A Hub to Miami - NYTimes.com". New York Times. October 4, 1990.
  5. ↑ "First Direct Flight From New Orleans To Cuba Since 1958 To Take Off This Weekend". The Huffington Post. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  6. ↑ "U.S. clears 6 airlines for takeoff to Cuba, but flights won't start right away". Retrieved 2016-07-19.
  7. ↑ "Frustrated attempt to hijack a commercial passenger plane". ipsnews.net. Retrieved July 25, 2011.
  8. ↑ "Aerodromos de Cuba". iacc.gov.cu (in Spanish).
  9. ↑ http://www.routesonline.com/news/38/airlineroute/267620/air-caraibes-adds-cuba-flights-from-dec-2016/
  10. ↑ "Alaska Airlines will fly to Havana, Cuba, beginning Jan. 5, 2017" (Press release). Alaska Airlines. 27 September 2016. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  11. ↑ https://www.alitalia.com/en_gb/home-page.html
  12. ↑ "American plans late-Nov 2016 Havana launch". routesonline. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
  13. ↑ UBM (UK) Ltd. 2016 (December 4, 2015). "Austrian Adds Havana Service from Nov 2016". Routesonline.
  14. ↑ http://www.routesonline.com/news/38/airlineroute/269920/cubana-adds-haiti-operation-in-w16/
  15. ↑ http://www.ajc.com/news/business/delta-to-launch-flights-to-havana-on-dec-1/nsPm4/
  16. ↑ http://www.denverpost.com/2016/09/07/frontier-airlines-havana-cuba-miami-flight/
  17. ↑ http://www.routesonline.com/news/38/airlineroute/268750/frontier-adds-miami-havana-service-from-dec-2016/
  18. 1 2 3 http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/flights/todayinthesky/2016/10/20/jetblue-unveils-havana-flights/92453312/
  19. ↑ http://www.star-telegram.com/news/business/aviation/sky-talk-blog/article107936312.html
  20. ↑ "Spirit Airlines adds Havana service from Dec 2016". routesonline. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
  21. ↑ http://www.routesonline.com/news/38/airlineroute/269961/turkish-airlines-plans-havana-caracas-launch-in-dec-2016/
  22. 1 2 "United schedules Havana launch in late-Nov 2016". routesonline. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
  23. ↑ Harro Ranter (July 7, 1983). "ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 737 registration unknown Havana-José Martí International Airport (HAV)". Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  24. ↑ (English) Americas: Cuba: Officer Dies In Plane Hijacking Attempt, The New York Times, May 4, 2007.
  25. ↑ "Cuba passenger plane crash kills all 68 people on board". BBC News. Retrieved June 4, 2015.

External links

Media related to José Martí International Airport at Wikimedia Commons

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