La Aurora International Airport (AILA) is the country’s main air gateway. For years, this terminal has faced deficiencies in infrastructure and the quality of service to visitors. One of the main problems was the lack of operation of the electric bleachers and air conditioning in the facilities.
However, according to authorities, in the last two years improvements have been made in equipment, cleaning, air conditioning, X-ray systems, operational security and reduction of lines in immigration and inspection processes.
During a conversation with Ricardo García Santander in the video podcast Let’s get to the pointfrom Guatemala It Doesn’t Stopthe Vice Minister of Transportation, Fernando Suriano, explained the progress, challenges and projects planned for this air terminal.
Despite the progress, he recognized that one of the main challenges is the reinstatement of personnel derived from judicial resolutions. “They continue to reinstate people who do not come to work, who have never come to work,” he said.
Likewise, the official indicated that one of the objectives is to promote a legal reform that allows the separation of regulation and supervision functions from airport operational activities. As he explained, the model seeks to ensure that the entity in charge of establishing standards and certifying airports is different from the one that manages the terminals.
Let’s get to the point with the issue of La Aurora Airport: five points
- An investment plan of approximately Q1.1 billion is planned to be executed over the next three years, aimed at strengthening airport infrastructure. Among the improvements are the acquisition of specialized equipment, boarding sleeves, motor pumps, renewal of operating systems and strengthening of human resources.
- According to Suriano, one of the necessary changes is the approval of a bill to separate the regulatory and operational functions of the airport system. As he explained, the entity in charge of regulating and supervising should not directly manage the airports that it must subsequently certify and supervise. The reform would allow the institutional framework to be strengthened and aligned with the international standards required in airport matters.
- The General Directorate of Civil Aeronautics (DGAC) is currently working in the design of national airspace, project that seeks to optimize routes, navigation procedures and aeronautical operations. Suriano assured that Guatemala is the first country in Central America to promote an initiative of this magnitude, which aims to modernize air traffic management and improve the operational efficiency of the system.
- Another of the obstacles pointed out by Suriano are the contracts and judicialized processes related to sellerscommercial spaces and airport parking. The vice minister indicated that several actions to recover these areas and improve services remain detained in courts, making it difficult to advance projects to modernize and recover the facilities.
- By the end of 2026 it is expected the incorporation of new gastronomic options within the airport. According to Suriano, after a survey carried out, high-end establishments will be integrated aimed at expanding the food offering for passengers and visitors, with emphasis on Guatemalan products and gastronomy.
You can listen to the episode on Spotify: