Until before 2013, Quito had a poor and even dangerous airport service, with no opportunities for growth and little room for improvement. Today it has one of the best airport infrastructures in the region, the only one in Latin America with 5 stars for service quality from Skytrax and recipient of more than 50 awards and recognitions.

As this February 20, 2023 marks the tenth anniversary of the start of operations of the Mariscal Sucre International Airport, the numbers testify to the success in the operation of the airport, both in terms of connectivity options, passengers transported and cargo handling.

With a runway of 4,098 meters in length, Mariscal Sucre is currently the only one that has Category II precision approaches in Ecuador. Category II approaches allow aircraft to land safely in low visibility conditions. These advances benefit passengers and airlines, avoiding delays, diversions or cancellations due to fog.

Connectivity and mobility in clear development

Between February 20, 2013 and February 19, 2023, 44.6 million passengers have passed through the capital's airport in national and international departures and arrivals, using nearly 460,000 flights. Today, from the Quito airport, 15 airlines connect the city with 14 direct international destinations and 8 national destinations, being the best connected in the country and ratifying its status as the gateway to Ecuador.

In these ten years, Quiport, the company that manages and operates the Mariscal Sucre airport, has maintained its permanent commitment to seek how and where to improve, being sensitive to the needs and expectations of the passenger because it is committed to the tourist and economic development of Quito. and the Equator. "That is why we have developed expansions of the passenger terminal and improvements such as the renovation and remodeling of the International VIP Lounge, the remodeling of the public halls, improvements in signage and a permanent attention to detail such as cleanliness and customer service. airport staff, operators and airlines to guarantee a pleasant experience”, explains Ramón Miró, president and CEO of Quiport. Since the opening of the airport, Quiport and its strategic partners have invested about US$200 million in new infrastructure (cargo logistics center, Wyndham Quito Airport Hotel, Quito Airport Center), expansions, and improvements.

Ramón Miró adds: “Maintaining the great performance of the Mariscal Sucre Airport in the highest service standards for our passengers is a task in which all the companies and institutions that operate at the airport are involved. We continue to be at the forefront among airports in the region, which encourages us to continue working with the same passion. In this sense, I must also thank our shareholders Odinsa (Colombia), CCR (Brazil) and HAS Development Corporation (United States) for their support”.

Thanks to this vision, the Quito airport has received more than 50 awards and certifications in all areas of management, highlighting the 5-star service rating granted by Skytrax (the only one in Latin America and the Caribbean and one of 17 airports at scale world), the designation as Best Regional Airport in South America for 7 consecutive years at the Skytrax World Airport Awards and Best Airport in Latin America and the Caribbean in the category of 5 to 15 million passengers in 2021 and the accreditation of Customer Experience Level 4, both delivered by Airports Council International (ACI 

High performance in air cargo operations.

Cargo has become one of the main strengths of the Quito airport. In the 10 years of operation, close to 2.3 million metric tons of cargo has been mobilized, of which more than 97.5% corresponds to international cargo. Ramón Miró points out: “We are the main cargo airport in Ecuador and we are already among the airports in Latin America and the Caribbean with the highest cargo handling volume. In this area, the joint work that we have developed with the national and local government authorities, and with the private sector is also key in an area in which we have a broad horizon of growth”.

When the airport opened in February 2013, air cargo reached 170,328 tons at the end of the year and in 2022 it registered 290,677 tons. Ecuador's main export product by air corresponds to flowers, which represent 92% of all cargo volume exported by the airport.

For Ramón Miró, one of the key elements to adequately respond to the increase in cargo volume is the efficient logistics chain of the Mariscal Sucre airport. “The Quito airport is the only one in the country and one of the few in the region to have a cargo logistics center within the airport premises. In the logistics center, important processes are developed, such as the centralized consolidation of export cargo, on the one hand, and customs clearance and temporary warehouse services for imports," the official details.

The other components of the logistics chain are an international cargo terminal that has 12,000 square meters of useful area, in which four cargo palletizing companies operate, and the cargo platform that can accommodate up to six large-capacity cargo aircraft. simultaneously (four E code and two F code).

Mr. Miró considers that: “The prospects for future growth are excellent. The Ecuadorian flower is gaining market in the world, there are already other products such as fruits that are increasing export volumes and even production from northern Peru arrives at the Quito airport to be exported”.

Sustainability characterizes airport management.

Quiport began working with the communities in 2006, which is the date on which the construction of the airport in Tababela began, and the first stage consisted of gathering information and an approach to understand the reality of the communities and their needs. more pressing.

The area that includes Tababela, Pifo, Puembo, Checa, El Quinche and Yaruquí, which are the parishes that surround our operation, based its economy on agricultural activity, but, being far from the city of Quito as a political, administrative and economic center , suffered from historical isolation.

The presence of the airport, first as a work and then already in activity, changed the community dynamics. Our focus on Social Responsibility first, and then sustainability, led us to design programs based on axes such as:

• education and training,

• generation of employment opportunities, and

• entrepreneurship through shared value programs.

In education and training, there is a school scholarship program aimed at supporting children and adolescents with limited economic resources or in vulnerable situations so that they can finish their basic education.

In addition, there are training programs focused on strengthening the skills of people of working age so that they can more easily apply for a job. Among the main ones are customer service training, waiter training, housekeeper training, management of programs such as Office, basic and advanced Excel, industrial safety, conceptual gastronomy (correctly handle the terminology used in gastronomy), basic English and intermediate.

In job opportunities, we work hand in hand with the entire airport community, that is, with commercial operators, airlines and all organizations that provide services at the airport. The project consists of a labor database that is fed with the resumes of people from the community who are looking for employment, and to which the commercial operators of the airport have access.

The result has been very important. 40% of a total of 7,500 people who work today in the more than 100 companies and institutions that operate at the airport come from the communities, which shows the importance of the airport as a generator of employment.

Since 2015, Quiport has participated in the Airport Carbon Footprint Accreditation (ACA) program promoted by the world Airports Council International (ACI) and the International Civil Aviation Organization. As a result of this participation, the company has passed the four initial phases of the program until reaching neutrality.

The challenge is to find new mechanisms to further reduce our carbon footprint, and to encourage and support our commercial operators and airlines to do so as well. The level of environmental awareness is very high and that allows us to make constant progress.

In the first measurement carried out in 2015 with the 2014 emissions data, 5,534 tons of CO2 were recorded. In the last measurement made in 2022 with the 2021 emissions data, the record reached 1,939 tons of CO2, evidencing a reduction of 64.96%.

The work carried out regarding the environment has led Quiport to obtain the Sustainable Quito Environmental Distinction delivered by the Municipality of Quito, three times.

At the end of this brief journey through ten years of history, Ramón Miró sees the future with optimism. “What we have done so far only commits us more for the future. We have an obligation to the city and to the country and we will continue to develop this airport to maintain the leadership position we have today”, he concludes.