Airport type Public Serves Tena Address Ecuador | Owner Government of Ecuador Elevation AMSL 1,234 ft / 376 m | |
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Operator Dirección General de Aviación Civil (Ecuador) Location Ahuano, Napo Province, Ecuador | ||
Jumandy Airport (Spanish: Aeropuerto Jumandy) (IATA: TNW, ICAO: SEJD) is an airport serving Tena, Napo Province, Ecuador. It is located near the village of Ahuano, about 25 km (16 mi) from Tena. It replaces the first airport to serve Tena, Mayor Galo de la Torre Airport, which closed in 2001.
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Jumandy Airport takes its name from Jumandy, the great cacique of Napo who helped lead a 1578 revolt against the Spanish.
The airport was opened in 2011 to facilitate tourism to the Amazon, in which Tena is located. However, it has not been performing well and lost its only scheduled flight in January 2016. It is currently used by flying schools and general aviation.
History
Jumandy Airport was constructed well outside Tena near the village of Ahuano. It was built by Consorcio Tena (Tena Consortium) at a cost of more than USD40 million. After two years of work, the airport was inaugurated on 29 April 2011 by President Rafael Correa.
On 5 June 2012, TAME commenced thrice weekly Quito–Macas–Tena–Quito service. Flights were operated using ATR 42-500 aircraft. However, as early as 2013, the airline was suffering from low passenger loads on the route. Reasons included the distance between Tena and Jumandy Airport and the good quality of roads to Tena, which allow for fast, cheap transport by car or bus to the city.
On 11 January 2016, TAME ended its flights to Tena, leaving Jumandy Airport without scheduled service. The airline had been losing USD1.2 million annually on the route.
After a caricaturist labeled the airport a white elephant, President Correa announced the airport would not be closed, but rather converted into an airbase for the Ecuadorian Air Force. In addition, the Ecuadorian Army will relocate to Jumandy from Río Amazonas Airport in Shell Mera.
Facilities
The runway at Jumandy Airport measures 2,500 m (8,200 ft), making it the third longest runway in the country, behind the runways at Guayaquil and Quito airports. It can handle aircraft as large as the Boeing 767. The apron occupies 17,600 m2 (189,000 sq ft).
The passenger terminal can handle up to 150 passengers, while the VIP terminal has a capacity of 30 persons. In addition, the airport fuel tanks can hold up to 22,000 gallons.