Ministro Pistarini International Airport Aeropuerto Internacional de Ezeiza Ministro Pistarini
IATA: EZE – ICAO: SAEZ
Summary
Airport type		Public
Owner		Argentine Government (Ministry of Planning and Public Services)
Operator		Aeropuertos Argentina 2000
Serves		Buenos Aires
Location		Ezeiza, Argentina
Hub for		Aerolíneas Argentinas & LAN Argentina & Aero VIP (Argentina)
Elevation AMSL		21 m / 67 ft
Coordinates		34°49′20″S 058°32′09″W / 34.82222°S 58.53583°W / -34.82222; -58.53583 (Ministro Pistarini International Airport)Coordinates: 34°49′20″S 058°32′09″W / 34.82222°S 58.53583°W / -34.82222; -58.53583 (Ministro Pistarini International Airport)
Website		www.aa2000.com.ar/...
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
	m	ft
11/29	3,300	10,827	Asphalt
17/35	3,105	10,187	Asphalt
Statistics (2009)
Total Passengers			7,924,759
Aircraft Movement			93,346
Sources: AIP, ORSNA Passenger statistics from Aeropuertos Argentina 2000.

Ministro Pistarini International Airport (Spanish: Aeropuerto Internacional de Ezeiza Ministro Pistarini) (IATA: EZE, ICAO: SAEZ) is located 22 km (14 mi) south-southwest of Buenos Aires or Capital Federal, the capital of Argentina. The airport covers an area of 3,475 ha (8,587 acres) and is operated by Aeropuertos Argentina 2000 S.A.

History

The airport is named after general and politician Juan Pistarini (1882–1956), but is more commonly known as Ezeiza International Airport because of its location in the city of Ezeiza in Greater Buenos Aires. It is the country's largest international airport and a hub for the international routes of Aerolíneas Argentinas. The first civilian flight from what is now London Heathrow Airport flew to Ministro Pistarini International Airport in 1946.

This airport was built between 1945 and 1949; at the time, it was the largest one in Latin America and the only one with three runways, forming an A. That means: three crossed runways (05/23, 11/29 and 17/35), forming three 60° angles. In 1997, RWY 05/23 was closed and now it is used for large aircraft (such as the Airbus A340 or Boeing 747) for parking while cleaning and refueling.

The Ezeiza massacre took place in the airport in 1973.

Operations

This airport is collecting an Airport Improvement Fee of 29 USD as of September 7, 2009, payable before any international departure.

In 2009, the airport handled 7,924,759 passengers and 93,346 aircraft movements.

Breach of Security

In July 2007, Argentina's Canal 13 conducted an investigation revealing that a group of security operators at the airport are stealing valuable objects such as iPods, digital cameras, cellular phones, sun glasses, jewelry and laptops while scanning the checked luggage of passengers. According to the special report, security operators at the airport should check each bag before putting it into the plane; however, some operators take advantage of the scanner machine to detect valuable objects and steal them. The report states that this event occurs every day and that the stolen items include anything from electronic devices to perfumes and chocolates.

Terminals, airlines and destinations

Due to the temporary closure of Aeroparque for major renovations between October 20 and December 5, 2010, all flights (domestic and international) scheduled to operate to and from that airport will be re-directed to Ezeiza. Normal operations will resume on December 6, 2010.

Statistics

The content above was published at Airports-Worldwide.com in 2010.
We don't guarantee the information is fresh and accurate. The data may be wrong or outdated.
For more up-to-date information please refer to other sources.