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'Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport' is a public airport located in Carolina, Puerto Rico 3 miles (5 km) southeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico. The airport is owned and managed by the Puerto Rico Ports Authority.
It is the island's main international gateway, and its main connection to the mainland United States. Domestic flights fly between Carolina and various local points of interest, including Aguadilla, Culebra, Mayagüez, Ponce and Vieques. The airport offers rapid access to San Juan, the capital of the island.
The airport serves as the Caribbean hub for American Airlines and American Eagle.
As of 2006, the airport has been receiving major upgrades, including a new Concourse (Concourse A), reconstruction of runway 10-28, press conference rooms, an American Airlines Admirals Club located in Concourse C, and new fast food franchises along its corridors, like Wendy's, McDonald's, Subway, Starbucks, Buffalo Wings and Taco Maker, just to mention a few.
Also, the airport has a hotel, a barber's shop, beauty salons, souvenir kiosks, duty-free shops, a Banco Popular de Puerto Rico branch and several ATMs throughout the facility.

Contents

History

Incidents and accidents

News as of 2007

Terminals and airlines

Main Terminal

Concourse A

Concourse B

Concourse C

Air charters

American Airlines Terminal (former Terminal D)

Concourse D

Concourse E

Military/cargo ramps

Military ramp

Cargo ramps (three ramps)

References

External links

History

Located in the area known as Isla Verde, the airport was, for many decades, known as 'Isla Verde International Airport', until 1985, when then Governor Rafael Hernández Colón decided to name it after Luis Muñoz Marín, Puerto Rico's first democratically elected governor, and this airport is the biggest aiport in the caribbean.
The airport served as a Caribbean hub for Pan Am, Trans Caribbean Airways, Eastern Air Lines, and a short lived "focus city" for TWA. It was also the hub of Puerto Rico's international airline, Prinair, from the airline's start in 1966 to 1984, when Prinair went bankrupt. In 1986, American Airlines (along with American Eagle) established a hub in the airport to compete with Eastern Air Lines. In the past, the airport has been served by Avianca, Mexicana, Lufthansa, Air France, ACES Colombia, British Airways, Air Jamaica, Viasa, Aerolineas Argentinas, Virgin Atlantic, Dominicana De Aviacion and many other major airlines.
Many celebrities have been welcomed to Puerto Rico at this airport, including Menudo in 1981, after the group came back from touring Mexico; the boxer Félix Trinidad in 1999, after he defeated Oscar de la Hoya, King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia of Spain in 1987, and Pope John Paul II in 1984. Miss Universe 1993, Dayanara Torres, held a press conference at the airport after her arrival on May of that year. Zuleyka Rivera, Miss Universe 2006, was welcomed with a festive ceremony and held a press conference at the airport terminal.

Incidents and accidents

★ On February 15, 1970, a Dominicana de Aviacion DC-9 that was flying to Isla Verde crashed shortly after takeoff from Las Américas International Airport in Punta Caucedo, Dominican Republic, near Santo Domingo, killing everyone on board, including Puerto Rico's national women's volleyball team and Dominican Carlos Cruz, a former world boxing champion who was going to San Juan for a rematch with Carlos Ortiz. See: Dominicana DC-9 air disaster

★ On June 24, 1972, Prinair Flight 191, which took off from Isla Verde Airport, crashed while attempting to land at Mercedita Airport in Ponce.

★ On December 31 of that same year, baseball star Roberto Clemente and his companions died when their DC-7 crashed soon after takeoff from Isla Verde during a relief flight bound for Nicaragua. Neither the bodies of the victims nor the plane's wreckage were ever found.

★ In 1983, a hijacked Alitalia DC-10 landed at this airport, under orders by the hijacker.

★ In 1985, an American Airlines DC-10 taking off from Muñoz Marín to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport in Texas overran the runway and nosedived into a nearby lake. There were no injuries.

★ 24 September 1998 - Trans-Florida Airlines Convair 240-13 (N91237) had an engine problem on take-off. It attempted to return to the airport, but lost altitude and was force landed in a salt water lagoon some 2 miles short of the runway. The aircraft was written off, but the two crew and one passenger were uninjured. ^[1]

★ On May 9, 2004 an American Eagle Super ATR, flight 5401, crash-landed when one of the tires popped. Seventeen people were injured, but no one died.

News as of 2007

Over $100 million will be used to expand the airport facilities. The new concourse A will open in 2008 for all
international arrivals/departures and charter flights. Concourse B, C & D will be expanded to accommodate new gates. Concourse E will be
expanded to have its own check in counters and guest services. Pavement expansion, apron expansion and new light systems. The airport operators are also in talks with Avianca, Aeropostal, Taca, Mexicana and Lan Chile to lunch new air services once the new concourse A opens.
Iberia Airlines promise to increase services once the new concourse A opens. SJU is also try to gain new air services from British Airways,
Lufthansas and Air Transat who all served SJU years ago.

Terminals and airlines

The Luis Muñoz Marín Airport has two terminals: the Main Terminal and the American Airlines Terminal. Previously, the airport had a different layout which called the different concourses as Terminals B, C and D, but the new signing around the airport has changed this.
The Main Terminal houses Concourse B and Concourse C, while the American Airlines Terminal houses Concourse D and Concourse E. All airlines except American Airlines and American Eagle check in the Main Terminal. American Airlines and American Eagle check in the American Airlines Terminal.

Main Terminal

Concourse A

Concourse A has 7 gates: 42 - 48
Under construction. Completion scheduled for February 2008.
Concourse A will have 7 gates that will serve all international arrivals/departures and charter flights.

Concourse B

Concourse B has 11 gates: 31 - 41 (new concourse expansion project plan will add 6 more gates making it a total of 17 gates)

★ Air Canada (Montréal [seasonal], Toronto-Pearson)

★ Air Culebra (Culebra)

★ Air Sunshine (St. Croix, St. Thomas, Tortola, Vieques, Virgin Gorda)

★ Cape Air (Mayagüez, Ponce, St. Croix, St. Thomas, Tortola, Vieques)

★ Delta Air Lines (Atlanta, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky, New York-JFK, Orlando)

★ Isla Nena Air Service (Culebra, Fajardo, Vieques)

★ LIAT (St. Maarten, St.Vincent, Port of Spain, Dominica)

★ Northwest Airlines (Detroit, Memphis, Minneapolis/St. Paul [seasonal])

★ San Juan Aviation (La Romana, Punta Cana, Santiago (DR), Santo Domingo, St. Thomas)

★ United Airlines (Chicago-O'Hare, St. Thomas)

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★ Ted operated by United Airlines (Chicago-O'Hare, Washington-Dulles)

★ Tradewind Aviation (St. Barth's)

★ US Airways (Boston, Charlotte, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington-Dulles [seasonal])

★ Vieques Air Link (Vieques)

Concourse C

Concourse C has 9 gates: 20, 22 - 29 (new concourse expansion project plan will add 5 more gates making it a total of 14 gates)

★ Continental Airlines (Cleveland, Houston-Intercontinental, Newark)

★ Copa Airlines (Panama City)

★ Iberia (Madrid)

★ JetBlue Airways (Boston [seasonal], New York-JFK, Orlando)

★ Spirit Airlines (Atlantic City [seasonal], Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Tampa [seasonal])

Air charters

★ Condor (Frankfurt, Munich}

★ Martinair Holland (Amsterdam)

★ Mexicana (Mexico City)

★ Miami Air (Varies, depending on the tour operator)

★ Pace Airlines (Orlando)

★ Omni Air International (Varies, depending on the tour operator)

★ Thomas Cook Airlines (Düsseldorf)

★ Thomsonfly (London-Gatwick, Manchester)

★ XL Airways (Glasgow)

American Airlines Terminal (former Terminal D)

Concourse D

Concourse D has 8 gates: 11 - 12, 14 - 19 (new concourse expansion project plan will add 4 more gates making it a total of 12 gates)

★ American Airlines Gates 11 - 12, 14 - 19 (Antigua, Aruba, Baltimore/Washington, Boston, Caracas, Chicago-O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Fort Lauderdale, Hartford, Los Angeles, Miami, New York-JFK, Newark, Orlando, Philadelphia, Santo Domingo, St. Maarten, St. Thomas, Tampa, Washington-Dulles)

Concourse E

Concourse E has 14 gates: 1A - 1F, 2 - 9 (new expansion project plan will add more check in counters and services)

★ American Airlines Gates 3 - 9 (see above)

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★ American Eagle operated by Executive Air Gates 1A - 1F, 2 (Anguilla, Antigua, Aruba, Beef Island, Bonaire, Bridgetown, Curacao, Dominica, Fort-de-France, Grenada, La Romana, Nevis, Pointe-a-Pitre, Port of Spain, Puerto Plata, Punta Cana, Samana [begins December 13], Santiago (DO), Santo Domingo, St. Croix, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, St. Maarten, St. Thomas)

Military/cargo ramps

Military ramp

★ United States Air Force

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★ Air National Guard

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★ Puerto Rico Air National Guard[1]/Commander:Brigadier General Jose M. Portela[2]

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★ Muñiz Air Base

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★ 156th Airlift Wing[3]/Wing Commander: Col Quiñonez

Cargo ramps (three ramps)

★ ABX Air

★ Air Atlanta Icelandic

★ Air Tahoma

★ Ameriflight

★ Amerijet International

★ Arrow Air

★ DHL

★ Evergreen International Airlines

★ FedEx Express

★ Four Star Aviation

★ LAN Chile Airlines Cargo

★ Martinair Holland Cargo

★ Roblex Aviation

★ Tampa Cargo

★ UPS

★ USPS Airport Facility Ramp

★ Volga-Dnepr

References

1. Aviation Safety Network retrieved 27 November 2006

External links

★ Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport official website

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