These are the details of the new airport for the Valparaíso Region

President Gabriel Boric has announced the expansion and improvement of the Torquemada Aerodrome with a total investment of more than $76 billion Chilean pesos (US$79 million). The work will allow the airfield to receive domestic and international commercial flights, thus boosting the economy and tourism in the Valparaíso Region. 

The president explained that, with this expansion, Torquemada is expected to receive more than 900,000 passengers a year, thanks to commercial flights within Chile and to Argentina. 

The Viña del Mar Aerodrome, located on Torquemada Hill in Concón, is a project that will come into operation in 2027. 

The works include the installation of a new passenger terminal of more than 4,000 square meters, green areas, parking lots, and the lengthening and widening of runways, as well as operation support facilities such as a control tower, electrical substation and warehouses. 

“As a government, we are aware of the strategic importance of this airfield for the region, and that is why it is a great joy to be able to announce the modernization plan for the airport network, led by the Public Works Ministry (…) Today, we are getting the design underway and opening the tender process, and it will be up to another government to inaugurate it. That is how to build Chile, with a long-term vision,” Gabriel Boric, President of Chile. 

“It has been 12 years since the construction of a new airport was announced in Chile. This airport is a project with history, and today we are bringing it to fruition. First of all, we will be in a position to begin construction work on the passenger terminal next year, and then formally begin commercial flights. In the first stage, there will be short-distance commercial flights, with destinations such as La Serena, Concepción and Mendoza, to later enable longer-distance operations to Antofagasta and Buenos Aires,” stated Public Works Minister Jessica López.