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Juan Gualberto Gómez Airport (IATA: VRA, ICAO: MUVR), formerly known as Varadero Airport (Spanish: Aeropuerto de Varadero), is an international airport serving Varadero, Cuba, and the province of Matanzas. The airport is located 5 km from the village of Carbonera, closer to the city of Matanzas than to Varadero. The closest airport to Varadero is Kawama Airport. In 2009, the airport handled 1.28 million passengers,[2] making it the second busiest airport in Cuba after José Martí International Airport in Havana.

History

Juan Gualberto Gomez Airport was built in 1989 and inaugurated by Fidel Castro,[3] thus replacing the old Varadero airport located in Santa Marta, currently known as Kawama Airport. The airport was named after a journalist, fighter for the Cuban Independence and black rights activist in Cuba Juan Gualberto Gómez (1854–1933).[4]

Bust of Juan Gualberto Gómez at the Juan Gualberto Gómez Airport commemorating the inauguration of the airport in 1989.

The terminal building has shops for tourists (including rum, cigars, T-shirts, books, carvings, pharmaceuticals) both before customs check point, at a large departures lounge with cafeterias on the upper level and a smaller air conditioned VIP lounge the lower level.[5]

Immigration checkpoint consists of wooden booths for push doors opened by immigration officers after travelers have been processed.[6] Customs check point consists of three x-ray machines. Two flights of stairs and an escalator take travelers to the departure lounge. Tour operators offices are located near the domestic terminal area.

The ground handling equipment is imported mainly from North America. There are four jet bridges (serving parking areas 2 to 5), but air stairs are used for the remaining aircraft parking space #1 on the apron by the terminal.[7]

Airlines and destinations

Departures area interior
Departures area interior

In April 2020, Cuba stopped all scheduled flights. In October 2020, it was announced that the airport would be reopening for flights with tourists being restricted to a "bubble", but before that began, the province moved to the "new normality" and the airport reopened for regular commercial flights, with flights from Mexico and the UK.[8]

AirlinesDestinations
Aeroflot Seasonal: Moscow–Sheremetyevo[9]
Air Canada Rouge Montréal–Trudeau, Toronto–Pearson
Air Transat Montréal–Trudeau, Toronto–Pearson
Seasonal: Halifax, Moncton, Ottawa, Québec City
American Airlines Miami
Azur Air Charter: Moscow–Vnukovo (suspended)
Condor Frankfurt
Edelweiss Air Seasonal: Zürich
Iberojet Seasonal: Lisbon
LOT Polish Airlines Seasonal charter: Katowice, Poznań, Warsaw–Chopin
Magnicharters Seasonal: Monterrey
Neos Seasonal: Milan–Malpensa
Nordwind Airlines Seasonal charter: Moscow–Sheremetyevo
OWG Montréal–Trudeau, Toronto–Pearson
Servicios Aéreos Profesionales Punta Cana
Sunclass Airlines Seasonal charter: Copenhagen, Stockholm–Arlanda
Sunwing Airlines Montreal–Trudeau, Québec City, Toronto–Pearson
Seasonal: Bagotville, Calgary, Deer Lake, Edmonton, Halifax, Hamilton (ON), Kitchener/Waterloo, London (ON), Moncton, Ottawa, Regina, St. John's, Saskatoon, Thunder Bay, Vancouver, Windsor, Winnipeg
TUI fly Belgium Brussels
TUI fly Netherlands Amsterdam
WestJet Calgary, Toronto–Pearson
World2Fly Charter: Lisbon[10]

Accidents and incidents

There have been five significant incidents involving aircraft from or en route to the airport since the 1950s. Only 1 flight involved resulted in fatalities. Three flights involved Cubans hijacking an aircraft to flee to the United States.

  • 6 March 2005 - Air Transat Flight 961 Airbus A310 returned safely to airport following detachment of rudder after takeoff.
  • 29 December 1992 - Aerocaribbean Antonov 26 was hijacked en route to Varadero Airport from Havana. The aircraft landed in Miami.[11]

References

  1. ^ Aerodrome chart Archived 2011-06-26 at the Wayback Machine issued 10 May 2007
  2. ^ "www.radioangulo.cu - Servicios Archivo Aeropuerto de Varadero entre los mejores del país (Spanish only)". [permanent dead link]
  3. ^ "DISCURSO PRONUNCIADO POR FIDEL CASTRO RUZ, PRESIDENTE DE LA REPÚBLICA CUBA, EN LA INAUGURACION DEL AEROPUERTO INTERNACIONAL DE VARADERO "JUAN GUALBERTO GOMEZ", EL 25 DE SEPTIEMBRE DE 1989, "AÑO 31 DE LA REVOLUCION"". www.cuba.cu.
  4. ^ "Varadero Airport VRA".
  5. ^ "Varadero Airport VRA".
  6. ^ "Immigration / Customs | Cuba".
  7. ^ "Varadero Airport VRA".
  8. ^ "Cuba's Varadero destination reopened with British tourists". 26 October 2020.
  9. ^ "Aeroflot Adds Varadero Service From July 2023". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  10. ^ "World2Fly Schedules Orlando Sanford Charters June - August 2022".
  11. ^ Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Antonov 26 CU-T110 Miami International Airport, FL (MIA)". aviation-safety.net.

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