High hopes in Colombia's coffee triangle
It is not only because of the altitude that you require strong staying power and a head for heights when planning a new airport in the Eje Cafetero, a region situated at an altitude of 1,200 to 2,000 m above sea level between Bogotá, Medellín and Cali.
KPMG recently declared that the Aeropuerto del Café, which has a 75% degree of validation, could easily be set up within 30 months. The coffee cities of Manizales, Pereira and Armenia want a 1,460 m runway to improve their links to aviation networks. The aim is to extend this runway to 3,800 m by 2033, despite the topography.
Freight is another driver in this project: Besides coffee, the region is also known for its cultivation of avocados (5,000,000 sqm in the Departamento Caldas). Estimates say that Colombia will be exporting 637,000 t of perishable goods in ten years’ time. (ah)