MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Paraguay: Encarnación airport becomes full-time international facility

Flybondi's first regular flight is due on Aug. 24

Paraguay's National Civil Aviation Authority (Dinac) has authorized the Teniente Amín Ayub International Airport in Encarnación to operate 24 hours a day as an international terminal, making it the third in the country with this capability, alongside Asunción's Silvio Pettirossi and Ciudad del Este's Guaraní.

The reclassification, known as the H24 category, means that key services like Immigration and the National Anti-Drug Secretariat (Senad) will have a permanent presence, allowing flights from abroad, Dinac's Rubén Aguilar confirmed.

The first international commercial flight, operated by Argentine budget carrier Flybondi from Buenos Aires, is scheduled to arrive on August 24. To prepare for the increased traffic, a temporary terminal expansion structure costing over US$8 million is being put in place.

Additionally, a bid from the SPY-MES Consortium has been submitted for the construction of a new passenger terminal. The airport's runway is currently capable of handling flights from Boeing 737s, and the parking apron is being expanded to accommodate more aircraft.

It was also announced that American Jet would operate a route between Asunción and Encarnación during the World Rally Championship, and that companies such as Paranair would also have flights to Encarnación.

On July 21, bids were opened for the construction of the new airport passenger terminal, with only one bid submitted that met the requirements to move on to the evaluation stage. The SPY-MES Consortium tender is currently in the bid evaluation stage.

The airport facilities were built by the Yacyretá Binational Entity (EBY), which delivered the project on August 2, 2011. The airport received its first international flight on January 16, 2013, from Bahia (Brazil).