Cárdenas International Airport
| Cárdenas International Airport "Emperador Edgard II-Cárdenas Aeropuerto Internacional" | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Code: CARD | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Public | ||
| Owner | Federal District Transport Authority | ||
| Operator | Cárdenas Airport Administration | ||
| Serves | Cárdenas and Santander | ||
| Location | Cárdenas, Federal Capital District | ||
| Hub for | |||
| Elevation AMSL | 2 m / 6 ft | ||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| m | ft | ||
| 8R/20L | 4,100 | 13,451 | Asphalt |
| 14L/32R | 3,500 | 11,482 | Asphalt |
| 12/28 | 3,500 | 11,482 | Asphalt |
| 14R/32L | 4,100 | 13,451 | Asphalt/Concrete |
| 18/36 | 3,500 | 11,482 | Asphalt/Concrete |
| 8L/20R | 4,350 | 14,268 | Asphalt/Concrete |
| Statistics (1715 AN) | |||
| Total passengers | 125,605,293 | ||
| Aircraft movements | 578,219 | ||
| Tonnes of cargo | 817,391 | ||
| Statistics from PDCAA | |||
Emperor Edgard II-Cárdenas International Airport (Alexandrian: Aeropuerto Emperador Edgard II-Cárdenas) (MOS-12: CAD), commonly known as Cárdenas Airport, is the main international airport Cárdenas, the capital of Nouvelle Alexandrie. At 4,200 ha (10,300 acres) in area, it is the largest airport in the nation, as well as the largest airport in Keltia. In 1716 AN, 125.6 million passengers moved through Edgard II, making it the country's busiest airport as well as the world's fifth-busiest.
Construction began in late 1686 AN, with financing provided by a public-private consortium created between the federal government and Wechu Antanka Pampa, and it was built built by ESB Construction. It opened in 1688 AN. Within the city limits of Cardenas, it is 18 km (11 mi) from the city center. The airport is named in honour of the late Alexandrian Emperor. It has a dedicated metro network with stations for the main building as well as the terminals. The airport is the primary hub of AirImperial, as well as a hub for Air Alduria. Consequently, AirImperial is responsible for more than 30% of Cárdenas' traffic. The airport has two main passenger terminals: T1-T2 and T3; two sattelite terminals: T4, T5-T6; as well as 6 runways.
History
The airport was part of the Cárdenas Plan, to create a dedicated international airport for the new capital, as well as a major hub for the entirety of Keltia. The construction was divided in phases, to allow for budgetary control. Phase I began construction in 1686 AN, and opened in 1688 AN, consisting of one main terminal (T1-T2) of 8,000,000 square feet (743,000 m2) and three independent runways, which yielded capacity for 68 million passengers annually. Phase II developed and created local transport infrastructure to connect the airport to the new capital and to the rest of the country on land through the Airport Metro Loop; as well as creating cargo airport services. It opened in 1698 AN. In its final Phase, three more runways, an additional main terminal (T3), and two satellite terminals(T4 and T5-T6), were added, with capacity for 125 million passengers. It opened in 1705 AN. This made the airport one of the largest in the world. In 1715 AN, the Metro took over the inter-terminal Airport Loop Line and started services to T4 and T5&6.
Operations
Terminal 1
The first terminal is part of the main airport building, and consists of a semi-circular terminal building housing key functions such as check-in counters and baggage claim conveyors. It has a total of six boarding gates. The building itself is fourth stories high: the first floor contains shops and restuarants, as well as the Metro and HS Express train station, and access to bus stops, taxi stands, and special-pick up vehicles, on the western side. Departing passengers can pass to duty-free stores and baggage claim conveyors on the eastern side. The majority of check-in counters, border control posts and boarding gates are on the third floor. The fourth floor is dedicated to technical operations and not accessible to the public, and has assigned airline offices.
The terminal is exclusively used by international airlines, as well as airline alliances.
Terminal 2
The second terminal is located about 1.9 km (1.2 mi) north of T1, connected by a skybridge to T1. It has three boarding gates and is only two stories high: the ground floor holds the Airport Business Center. There is also a connection to Excelsior Hotel, with a walkway, on the north-side of the terminal. The terminal serves international flights between the nations on Keltia.
Terminal 3
The third terminal is located about 2.8 km (1.8 mi) east of T1 in a separate building, connected with a metro station and a long underground walkway. It has a total of eight boarding gates. It is three stories high: the ground floor contains shops and restaurants, as well as the metro station. The second floor is dedicated to high-end duty-free stores, restaurants, and airport lounges, including a VIP airport lounge operated by the Micras Airport Lounge Network. It houses the Airport Conference Hall as well. The third floor houses the majority of the check-in counters border control posts, and boarding gates. The airport Flight Control Tower is also located on the southern side of this terminal, connected with a skybridge.
The terminal is used for domestic flights to Alduria and Lyrica, and has assigned airline office space for Air Alduria.
Terminal 4
The fourth terminal stands 600 m (2,000 ft) west of T3, connected by a skybridge and a metro station. It has two boarding gates and is two stories high: the ground floor is used for assigned parking and storage space. The terminal serves domestic flights to the Isles of Caputia.
Terminal 5-6
The fifth and sixth terminal share a building, being separated only by a skybridge. It is also connected by a metro station. The fifth terminal has two boarding gates; the sixth has three. The building is two stories high: the ground floor is used for technical operations and not accessible to the public. T5 serves domestic flights to Valencia; T6 serves domestic flights to the Islas de la Libertad and New Luthoria.
Cargo Airport
The cargo operations on the airport are centralised on the northern end of the area, with two dedicated cargo terminals, as well as a cargo train terminal and dedicated warehousing areas.
Medical Care
The airport is attached to the Conzalito Hospital for referral and surgical emergencies requiring hospital care. The airport itself has medical rooms and medical staff through the Airport Medical Service to cover passengers in need of medical attention. It also has more than 140 defibrilator points in the event of cardiorespiratory arrest.
Ground transport
The airport has a dedicated transit hub, Aeropuerto Tránsito, which has an underground rail station, taxi stands, and a bus terminal.
Taxi
All terminals have taxi stands. Official taxis are red, with a white stripe, and have the flag of the Federal District on their doors.
Rail
The Cárdenas Metro connects the airport with the city center. Line G provides express services to Aeropuerto Tránsito and T3, as well as inter-terminal services to T4 and T5-6. There is one train stopping every 150 seconds during the day.
The Airport Express Line utilizes the Keltian High Speed line and connects at Aeropuerto Tránsito. It runs every 10 minutes during the day.
City Buses
There are regular bus services between the airport and Cárdenas: Bus 182 also serves as the airport bus line - dropping passengers at departures and collecting passengers at arrivals. It also runs to Aeropuerto P+R. There is also an express bus (Bus 5020) linking the airport to Grande Unión station, including as night service. There are five bus lines running between the airport and the metropolitan area:
- 14: Aeropuerto Tránsito-Plaza de la Música
- 39: Aeropuerto Tránsito-Bemar
- 56: Aeropuerto Tránsito-University of Cárdenas
- 171: Aeropuerto Tránsito-Tastin
- 185: Aeropuerto Tránsito-Telala
Long-distance Bus
From Aeropuerto Tránsito there are routes to most main cities in Santander, including Wechuhuasi, Jirishanca, Potosí, Santiago, Bassumorto, and Ciudad Real. There are also interregional services to Parap, San Luis, Kedah, Artés, Chambéry, Mayenne, and Puerto Carrillo.
Airport People Mover
In 1716 AN, an underground people mover system began transporting passengers between Aeropuerto Tránsito and T2. This relieved the skybridge connection between the two terminals, which are about 2 km apart. It is operated by the airport owner and can carry up to 15,000 people per hour, running every 2 minutes.
Airport parking
Long- and short-term car parking is provided at the airport with six public parking spaces. P1 (980 places) is an outdoor car park located at T1; P2 (340) is an indoor car park located in T2; P3 (1,440) is an indoor car park located underneath T3; P4 (740) is an indoor park located in T4; P5 is an indoor car park located underneath T5-T6. The Airport P+R is a dedicated long-term parking facility with 2,400 places; this is located about 4 km southwest of T1 and connected by metro and bus 182. P1 and P3 also have a total of 180 'Express' places for short periods only. There are accessible parking spots in each parking space, as well as VIP car spaces (85 places in total). Personnel parking is located at P3 (240 places).
