MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

New airport for Santiago de Chile.

Chilean aviation authorities are looking for a new location for Santiago's domestic and international airport. The search is concentrated in a 40 miles radius and is in anticipation of the growing air traffic. Santiago currently has two airports, Los Cerrillos, for domestic flights that will soon become an urbanized area, and the international air terminal Arturo Merino Benítez, which now concentrates all operations. According to Air Force General Mario Avila, head of the Chilean Aviation Agency the new location must make compatible the geographic difficulties of Chile's central valley, and a "reasonable" distance from Santiago. However General Avila is not pleased with closing down Los Cerrillos, the domestic airport in operation since 1929, "for security reasons, Santiago can't be without a domestic air terminal". A first list of possible places for the new airport will be made public in September.

Aero Continente back in the air

The Chilean branch of the Peruvian airline Aero Continente that last July was banned from flying and had its assets confiscated alleging links to the drug trade is expected to be resume flights in two weeks time. Lupe Zevallos president of the company, said the Chilean Court of Appeals unanimously ruled there was no evidence to support the allegations and ordered the immediate release of all assets, meaning the company was back in business. Last July 19th.on request from the Chilean State Defense Council a Criminal Court in Santiago ordered the closure of Aero Continente alleging the owners family was involved in drugs and money laundering. Zevallos said that the company will take back all of its 613 employees and once the five Boeing 737 have been checked will begin flying, "in the coming two weeks". Aero Continente is new in the Chilean market but has been particularly aggressive with its fares policy since air transport was deregulated in Chile. In Miami where the Zevallos family resides, a spokesperson said that "at the moment we're interested in flying again; whether we demand the Chilean government or not will be seen further on". However the Chilean State Defense Council anticipated it will appeal the lower court ruling befor