Comayagua International Airport (IATA: XPL, ICAO: MHPR), or Palmerola International Airport, is an international airport located 6 km (4 mi) south of the centre of Comayagua, Honduras. The airport was inaugurated in October 2021 as the country's new international airport for civil and commercial use. It was built at the facilities of the Soto Cano Air Base.
The airport is one of the most important airports in the country, and has a capacity greater than the Toncontin International Airport in Tegucigalpa. This airport serves not only Comayagua but also the residents of Tegucigalpa due to the limitations on growth of Toncontin. From October 2021, Comayagua became the main airport for the capital.
The airport has a capacity of 20 aircraft. The terminal is more than 39,000 square metres (420,000 sq ft) in size, approximately four times the size of Toncontin in Tegucigalpa. The airport has the third longest runway in Honduras after the Ramón Villeda Morales International Airport in San Pedro Sula and the Golosón International Airport in La Ceiba.
History
Background
The Soto Cano Air Base, also known as Palmerola, is located 8 km (5 mi) south of the city of Comayagua and is the largest military base in Central America. The airbase was built by the United States between 1984 and 1985. It permanently houses some 1,800 US military personnel and is also the headquarters of the aviation academy of the Honduran Air Force.
According to plans by the Honduran government, the new international airport of Comayagua will serve both Comayagua and the capital, Tegucigalpa. The new international airport would replace the current Toncontin International Airport in Tegucigalpa for international flights. Due to its complicated topography, Toncontin is considered one of the most dangerous airports in the world and its expansion is restricted due to its location in the centre of the city. With the opening of the new international airport, Toncontín would become an airport exclusively for domestic flights of small aircraft for up to 33 passengers.
Financing
The Honduran entrepreneur Lenir Pérez received the concession to build the airport from the Honduran government under the then President Juan Orlando Hernández (PNH). Lenir Pérez works in construction and mining in Honduras. In 2016, an agreement to build the airport as a public-private partnership was signed.
Its total cost was estimated at 163 million U.S. dollars. The private investor would contribute 87 million U.S. dollars, the Government of Spain would contribute 53 million U.S. dollars (45 million euros) through a reconversion of the pending debt from Honduras to Spain, and the Government of Honduras would contribute another 23 million U.S. dollars. The private investor will receive all the profits that the installation produces for three decades.
Corruption and violence
Various human rights organizations also associate Pérez with corruption, threats and violence. Daniel Langmeier from the Swiss Honduras Forum said, he was held captive for half a day in 2013 on an observation mission by armed security forces from a Pérez company. After his release he was threatened that he would "disappear" if he returned.
Flughafen München GmbH (FMG), which belongs to the Free State of Bavaria, the federal government and the city of Munich, advises the Pérez company through its subsidiary Munich Airport International GmbH (MAI). When criticism arose, the Bavarian Finance Minister Albert Füracker (CSU) said: "The FMG or MAI, according to their own statements, has no knowledge of the allegations against Lenir Pérez."
American military presence
Former Honduran President Manuel Zelaya had proposed to kick the US soldiers off the base and take control of it, but the proposal was criticized by the national and international press. With the arrival of President Juan Orlando Hernández, this plan was discarded and instead the construction of the airport was presented as a tool for mutual military development, with the participation of the United States Southern Command.
Inauguration
The new airport was inaugurated on October 15, 2021, in a ceremony presided over by president Hernández. Spirit Airlines landed from Houston on December 11, 2021, at 13:36 local time, making this the first commercial flight to land into the new facility. The 2nd flight was another from Miami, one hour later, also operated by Spirit. With the inauguration, the ICAO ID was changed from MHSC to MHPR.