  |
|
AIRLINES AND AIRPORTS IN BOLIVIAEnjoy some music while you read. Just click on the purple box.
Numerous foreign airlines fly into Santa Cruz, Bolivia which has two airports: Viru Viru International (or VVI) and El Trompillo, used by the military and small national airlines. Domestic and international flights transport passengers and cargo on a regular basis.
Airports and Landing StripsThere are several hundred airstrips throughout the country as well. The World Factbook claims that Bolivia has 1,382 landing strips, of which 1,016 have paved runways of under 915 meters. Many of these are rarely used. La Paz, Santa Cruz, and Cochabamba are the country's 3 main entry points and have runways over 3,050 meters long. Bolivia is 7th on the list of countries with the most airstrips in the world because getting around by car, bus or train though affordable, can be quite difficult.El Trompillo Airport, located in the southern section of the city, is used primarily by the military to transport cargo and personnel; however, it is also used by some small local airlines and most companies offering helicopter service. Transporte Aéreo Militar (TAM), the military airline, also sometimes runs non-military routes, taking non-military passengers (up to 50,000 domestic passengers a year) or cargo from Santa Cruz to other cities in Bolivia, but not foreign countries. Small planes offer domestic charter, taxi, ambulance, and tourist service from here. Several companies offer transportation by helicopter and all have their hangars at El Trompillo. Because transport by helicopter is expensive, these companies are generally used by passengers that must reach remote regions of the country where airstrips don’t exist. Oil and gas company personnel frequently use helicopters to reach these areas, as do military personnel. Tourists and photographers can also contract their services. Viru Viru International Airport, is located 13 kilometers (roughly 8 miles) North of the the downtown Santa Cruz. Most domestic and international airlines use this airport. AASANA, the “Administración de Aeropuertos y Servicios Auxiliares de la Navegación Aérea” is the government’s official airport and airstrip administrator throughout the country, although Viru Viru airport itself is run and managed by a private company. All the capitals of the different regions, large cities, and some towns in Bolivia, have airports that provide service for domestic flights. Flights on private airplanes can be found in most larger cities. Regularly scheduled air service is available between the major airports: La Paz, Cochabamba, and Santa Cruz which are linked to Potosi, Riberalta, Puerto Suarez, Sucre, Tarija, Trinidad, Cobija, Rurrenabaque, Guayaramerin and Yacuiba. Until 1992, there was a single national carrier owned by the state, Lloyd Aereo Boliviano (LAB), established in 1925 and one of the oldest airlines in the Americas. As with the railroads it was capitalized and privatized when 50 percent was acquired by the Brazilian company, VASP. Between that time and 2007 it changed ownership several times but was unable to overcome its financial woes. In April 2007 the airline ceased operating by order of the government (part owner).
Airlines in BoliviaSO I FOUND OUT ABOUT SOMETHING NEW FOR YOU! There is a site called Points.comThere are several ways you can go about looking for the best flights and prices to Bolivia. This is probably the most complicated and confusing part about planning your trip because there are so many options out there. Even I've had trouble trying to organize this information for you, but I'm doing my best to offer all the possible options and information that I can so you'll have lots of choices because BoliviaBella's readers are from literally ALL OVER THE WORLD! So here goes: You can contact one of our excellent Travel Agencies because, of course, they are the foremost experts on how to arrive here and keep in constant daily contact with all the airlines that have routes to Bolivia. You can also check out each of the airlines I've listed below individually. I'm working on making a separate page about each. This is a continuous project - please have patience. Sometimes it costs less to purchase directly from the airline and sometimes they have special hotel and car rental deals they offer. Or you can Find the Best Flight Every Time! See All Worldwide Flight Schedules on One Website. Click here to find the best fares on Air France. If you're coming from Holland or Europe check out fares offered by KLM. You might be able to get a good complete package including flight, hotel and car rental with British Airways Holidays Aerocon, Aerolíneas Sudamericanas, LAN Perú, Aerolíneas Argentinas, TAM Mercosur, LAN Chile, Aeroperu, Aeromexico, Nippon Airways, Cubana de Aviación, and Iberia are some of the major airlines that have regular routes through Bolivia. There are also several air-taxi companies that charter small planes. In general, national airlines provide cheaper flights within the country but not always for international flights, and they usually fly to some of the smaller destinations not served by foreign airlines.
If you plan to rent a car plan ahead by contacting one of these reputable rental car companies, as some do not have offices at the airport and will need to deliver the car to you upon arrival or at your hotel. There are taxis continuously from the airport to anywhere you want to go in town, and are not expensive at all. The average cost to the city is Bs. 45 (about US$6.00). Most major hotels also provide shuttle service to and from the hotel for their guests. Air travel is common in Bolivia because of the rugged terrain. Getting from Santa Cruz to Cochabamba by bus takes 8-9 hours (and only about 40 minutes by air); to La Paz, about 12-14 hours by bus (and about 1 hour by air). The terrain is harsh, the roads are often not well-maintained, and there are many, many checkpoints to pass through. During the rainy season roads may be flooded or cut off by landslides. Bolivia also has two railroads, one in Western Bolivia and one in Eastern Bolivia, but amazingly, they are not yet connected so they are useless if you want to get from Santa Cruz to La Paz, for example. You should expect to pay taxes upon entering or exiting the country, as well as any customs duties that may be assessed upon the belongings you bring into the country. A traveler's tax only applies to international flights for national passengers and residents of Bolivia, or foreigners and Bolivian residents in other countries that have been in Bolivia for more than 3 months. International: US$ 20 National: Bs 10 Take the proper legal actions in order to bring in the following items: cameras, laptops or other portable writing machines, video camcorders and accessories, tape recorders, sports equipment, five liters of alcoholic beverages, four hundred cigarettes (two cartons), fifty cigars or five hundred grams of tobacco, or whatever exceeds the exemption level of $US 2,000. Good Sources of InformationFor more information on customs visit the official government site of Bolivian Customs. If you are a pilot, you will find here a very useful list of airports and runways in Bolivia that includes locations, runway surface types, runway lengths, etc. Visit this page for information on shipping.Did you know you can view records of incidents and accidents (the safety record of each carrier by name)? Just go to www.aviation-safety.net. You can also report the quality of service you received from a carrier by going to www.airlinequality.com. Click here to see a map showing the locations of airports in bolivia. So while traveling overland allows you to take in all the scenery close-up, flying is sometimes a better option (and the views from up there are spectacular too). Return from Airports and Airlines to Home Page
                   Custom Search
|
