The first scheduled flights have taken off from the new Honduran capital airport, Palmerola International, following five years of planning.
On December 11, Palmerola International Airport in Honduras greeted Spirit Airlines as its first scheduled carrier, with daily flights from Houston and four weekly flights from Miami.
As of late December, five airlines are operating international flights to the new airport. United Airlines offers a daily service to Houston, American Airlines connects Palmerola 12 times per week with Miami and three times weekly with Dallas. Copa Airlines operates daily flights to Panama City and Avianca takes off daily to El Salvador and four times weekly to Guatemala City. Starting from January 2022, Spirit Airlines plans to add further flights to Fort Lauderdale and AeroMexico intends to introduce flights to Mexico City.
Munich Airport International (MAI), a 100% subsidiary of Munich Airport, has been providing consulting services in Honduras since 2015 for the planning and commissioning of the new Palmerola International Airport. MAI's contracting partners in this project are the Honduran airport operator Palmerola International Airport (PIA) together with the Honduran construction company EMCO.
“The new airport represents a milestone for infrastructure development and thus improved connectivity and economic growth for the Comayagua region and all of Honduras,” said Dr Ralph Gaffal, managing director MAI.
The initial capacity of Palmerola International Airport amounts to 1.5 million annual passengers. With a runway length of 2,440m, state-of-the-art airport technologies, four passenger security check points and seven passenger boarding bridges, the airport meets international standards and is fit for the future. It is expected to drive 2,000 direct and 5,000 indirect new jobs in the coming years.
All international traffic has been diverted from Toncontín Airport to Palmerola International Airport. Toncontín Airport will be used for domestic flights and general aviation only.
