Seymour Airport

Seymour Airport
IATA: GPS – ICAO: SEGS
Summary
Airport type Public / Military
Serves Baltra, Galápagos Islands, Ecuador
Elevation AMSL 207 ft / 63 m
Coordinates 00°27′14″S 090°15′57″W / 0.45389°S 90.26583°W / -0.45389; -90.26583
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
14/32 2,401 7,876 Asphalt
Source: DAFIF[1][2]
Outside of new building of Seymour Airport, Baltra Is., Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
Inside of new building of Seymour Airport, Baltra Is., Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

Seymour Airport (IATA: GPS, ICAO: SEGS) is an airport serving the island of Baltra,[1] one of the Galápagos Islands in Ecuador.

Facilities

The airport became the world’s first “green” airport in December 2012.

The new terminal, which consists of recycled steel tubes taken from oil drilling operations in the Amazon, is spread over 6,000 square meters and required an investment of just over $24 million. The new complex will use clean, renewable technologies such as solar energy, wind farms, and seawater desalination, among other environmental innovations.

According to ECOGAL, the company which operates the terminal, the construction of the new airport took into account the surrounding environment and sought to make a minimal impact on the ecosystem. The project was announced in 2008, with construction commencing in 2012. The purpose of the redevelopment from the outset was to create the world’s first ecological airport. ECOGAL was awarded a 15-year concession to administer and operate the airport.

The airport resides at an elevation of 207 feet (63 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway designated 14/32 with an asphalt surface measuring 7,876 by 115 feet (2,401 m × 35 m).[1]

Airlines and destinations

AirlinesDestinations
Avianca Ecuador Guayaquil, Quito
LATAM Ecuador Guayaquil, Quito
TAME Guayaquil, Quito, San Cristóbal

History

During World War II, the airport (known as Seymour Island Airfield) was used by the United States Army Air Forces Sixth Air Force defending the South American coastline and the Panama Canal against Japanese submarines. The first American personnel arrived on 9 April 1942. Military flying units assigned to the airport were:

Detachments stationed at: Salinas Afld, Ecuador and Talara Afld, Peru, December 1942-March 1943

By 30 September 1945, most personnel were withdrawn and only a housekeeping staff remained. The military facility was inactivated on 30 April 1946, leaving a communications unit which inactivated on 29 February 1948. Today many of the former USAAF aircraft parking hardstands still exist, along with an unused NW/SE runway that was abandoned after the war, but remains in reasonable condition.

References

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

  1. 1 2 3 Airport information for SEGS from DAFIF (effective October 2006)
  2. ↑ Airport information for GPS at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF (effective October 2006).
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