As of this Monday, September 1st, the Colombian Civil Aviation Authority (Aerocivil) has officially assumed administrative and operational control of the Alfonso Bonilla Aragón International Airport, located in Palmira, which serves Cali and a large part of the country’s southwest.
The entity’s objective is clear: to ensure continuity, safety, and quality in service for passengers and airlines during this new stage.
“The most important aspect of this transition is to provide certainty to all users of air transportation at Alfonso Bonilla Aragón, that from Aerocivil we will continue to guarantee operational safety, that every takeoff and landing is our priority, and that every passenger reaches their destination with the peace of mind of an experience that invites them to return,” stated the Director General of the Civil Aviation Authority, Brigadier General (Retired) José Henry Pinto Rodríguez.
Public Investment to Maintain Operations
To ensure functioning during the period of direct administration, a public operation plan was defined with an initial investment of $44.908 billion pesos, projected for a period of six to eight months. If extended to eleven months, the amount could reach up to $90 billion pesos, in coordination with the schedule led by the ANI (National Infrastructure Agency) within the framework of a future concession.
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The resources will be allocated to contracts in strategic areas such as:
- Infrastructure and technology
- Electromechanical systems and power
- Platforms and conveyor belts
- Control towers
- Environmental and sanitary services
Security and Essential Services Guaranteed
Aerocivil has also detailed a plan to maintain the following services without interruption:
- Airport security (AVSEC)
- Medical services
- Infrastructure maintenance
- Wildlife control
- Customer service
- Rescue and firefighting (RFF)
A Robust Team for the Operation
The airport’s administration will have a team of 122 mission-critical employees, including: 58 air traffic controllers, 45 aviation firefighters, and personnel specialized in operations, maintenance, and airport security.
This group is supplemented by the hiring of support staff and a strategy designed to mitigate unforeseen risks.
Handover Process with Aerocali S.A.
The transition was not improvised. For several months, a handover process was carried out with the outgoing concessionaire, Aerocali S.A., which managed the airport for 25 years.
This process included:
- Transfer of contracts for essential services and personnel who worked with the private concessionaire
- Transfer of over 160 commercial and lease contracts
- Signing of loan-for-use agreements with state entities such as the DIAN (Tax and Customs Directorate), Migration Colombia, the Airport Police, and the CVC (Regional Environmental Authority).
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