"SDQ" redirects here. SDQ is also the former callsign of a TV station in Warwick, Queensland, Australia.

Las Américas International Airport (Spanish: Aeropuerto Internacional Las Américas-JFPG) (IATA: SDQ, ICAO: MDSD) is an international airport located in Punta Caucedo, near Santo Domingo and Boca Chica in the Dominican Republic. The airport is run by Aeropuertos Dominicanos Siglo XXI (AERODOM), a Dominican Republic-based private corporation, with a 25-year concession to build, operate, and transfer (BOT) 6 airports in the Dominican Republic.

Recently, the expressway leading from Santo Domingo to the airport (roughly 20 km east of the city center) was expanded and modernised. The new expressway crosses a new suspension bridge which spans the Ozama River, connecting traffic into the city's Elevated Freeway and Tunnel system onto the city's main street, Av. 27 de Febrero. A more scenic route following the coastal shore provides beautiful views of the Caribbean Sea and of the city. This secondary road crosses the Ozama River by means of a floating bridge, connecting traffic onto the Av. George Washington (el Malecón) which leads into the heart of the colonial city.

The airport is the second busiest in the country, after Punta Cana International Airport, and one of the largest in the Caribbean, handling 2.7 million passengers in 2008 through its air terminal.

History

Las Américas Airport was opened in 1959 as the official airport of Santo Domingo.

The official name of the airport was changed in 2002 to "Aeropuerto Internacional Las Américas- José Francisco Peña Gómez (AIJFPG)" but is most commonly referred to as "Las Américas International Airport", or locally, "Las Américas".

On February 15, 1970, a Dominicana de Aviación's DC-9 that was flying to Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, crashed, killing all 102 persons on board (see: Dominicana DC-9 air disaster).

Las Américas was the hub for Dominicana de Aviación, APA Dominicana International, Air Santo Domingo, and a number of other, smaller airlines. Currently, PAWA Dominicana and SAP Air are based there.

Las Américas also has served as a hub for airlines such as Aeromar Líneas Aéreas Dominicanas, Air Santo Domingo, Aero Continente Dominicana, and Queen Air.

The new Northern terminal

This new terminal is complete and open for operations. It can accommodate four Boeing 747s simultaneously. This new terminal has four gates with boarding bridges, an air-conditioning system, and maintenance facilities for aircraft.

Runway

Las Américas' runway direction is 17/35. This runway is the largest in the country, and one of the largest in the Caribbean. With a length of 3,355 m, it is able to support an Airbus A380. The runway of SDQ was last renovated in June 2008.The old taxi-way was also renovated and converted into a full blown runway.

Terminals, airlines and destinations

Northeastern airborne view of SDQ and its runway

American Eagle ATR at the airport

Las Américas has 6 gates on the main satellite concourse (A), A1 through A6, which have a shared use. In the same concourse there is an American Eagle gate, A7. Other gate facilities are for the flights departing from a parking in the taxiway. back in the 1960s and 70s the airport used to be much smaller, The original building was half the sides of today's newest structure but with a still modern look.

Concourse B has 4 gates, B1 through B4, and an American Eagle's gate B1A. Terminal B is the newest and most modern in the country.

The average number of daily flights out of ranges between 28 and 45. American Airlines is the largest airline operating at Las Américas.

Cargo airlines

Accidents and incidents

• On February 15, 1970 a Dominicana de Aviación DC-9 flying to Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico crashed, killing all 102 persons on board (see: Dominicana DC-9 air disaster).

• On 30 January 1975, Douglas DC-3 HI-222 of LANSA crashed on take-off, killing one of the 30 people on board. The aircraft was on an international scheduled passenger flight to Mais Gate Airport, Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

• On November 12, 2001 American Airlines Flight 587, bound for Santo Domingo from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City, crashed into a Queens neighbourhood after takeoff, killing all the passengers and flight crew.

• On February 7, 2008 American Eagle flight 5111 had to make an emergency landing in La Romana International Airport after departing from Las Américas International Airport to Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport at 11:30 am. The captain said that he had some problems with the right engine, and as they were approaching the La Romana zone smoke began to spray into the cabin. The captain spoke to La Romana's control tower and obtained permission to make an emergency landing there. The aircraft was an ATR-72-500.

• On April 20, 2008 Cubana de Aviacion flight 201, bound for Havana, had to return to Las Americas, after reporting two of four engines were out of service, and one was on fire. The IL-62 landed without secondary problems into runway 17. All 117 passengers were without any injuries. The plane was in the air next day and landed La Habana with no problems as CUB201D.

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.
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