1. Nicaragua
1.4. The city of Managua
1.4.3. Managua International Airport
students or senior citizens, nor bundle prices for connecting with other buses. The ticket price is heavily subsidized by the government via discounts on fuel prices for cooperatives, through the cooperation agreement between Nicaragua and Venezuela.
In 2013, a new payment method was introduced: the MPeso card, a contactless smartcard (similar to Taipei’s EasyCard). Originally, the system was planned to completely substitute cash payment on all the city buses. However, general public reacted adversely to the system, and the government decided to change to a 60-40 mix, this is 60% of the buses will only accept payment through the MPeso card, and the remaining 40% will accept both cash and card. This system is only limited to buses and is not accepted as payment in taxis.
There are about 10,000 taxis in Managua. Their operation, as well as new concessions, is also regulated by IRTRAMMA, given that taxi cooperatives also receive fuel subsidies from government. Most taxis in Managua are colectivos, which pick up passengers as you go.
There is no use of fare meter, and price must be arranged between driver and user before boarding the taxi. These factors generate insecurity and reluctance towards the use of taxis, especially by foreigners or people traveling with luggage. There are also more expensive private taxis based at the airport, malls and touristic markets. A private taxi from Managua International Airport to downtown Managua costs US$ 20.
1.4.3. Managua International Airport
Nicaragua’s only international airport is located on Km. 11 North Highway, on the eastern exit of the capital. It serves both international and domestic flights, and in 2013 it serves 1.2 million passengers. The airport is currently the fifth busiest airport in Central America, and it serves as a focus city for Panamanian airline Copa Airlines. The airport has a single runway with over 3,000 meters length, which is able to receive large aircrafts like Boeing 747s.
The airport dates back to 1942, when the Nicaraguan Government and Pan American Airways signed a contract to construct an airport at Las Mercedes estate which inspired the name for Las Mercedes Airport, the aerodrome original name. The facility was never provided adequate proper maintenance, and its condition suffered greatly during the civil
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unrest of the 1980’s. A large expansion program was underway by 2003 and as of July 2006 the final phase was completed with 11 gates equipped with jetways, and room for 20 airplanes to park. The total investment was about US$52M.
The airport is managed through the International Airports Management Company (EAAI), a semi-public company created in 1982 to manage all of Nicaragua’s airport facilities, including domestic airfields. EAAI’s Board of Directors is constituted by both high-level government officials and private sector representatives. The airport employs around 300 people, including EAAI and airlines staff. EAAI is currently funded by a terminal usage fee, which is currently US$35 for international flights. The fee is charged directly by the airline to the ticket price.
In 2013, Managua International Airport served 1,206,172 passengers in both domestic and international terminals. This is a 3.8% CAGR since 2011. The international terminal served the majority of the passengers with 88% of total passengers, or around 1.06M passengers.
According to Nicaragua’s Ministry of Tourism (INTUR), the total amount of Nicaraguan citizens using the airport’s international terminal were 333,820, or about 30% of all passengers in 2012. Historical data from 2011 to 2013 can be seen in Figure 1.
Figure 1 Managua International Airport passengers traffic, by terminal (2011-2013)
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South America. Most served destinations are Miami, USA (2 airlines); San José, Costa Rica (2 airlines) and Panama City, Panama (2 airlines). Given its low altitude and runway length, Managua airport is technically capable of receiving any commercial aircraft, currently it is only served by narrow-body short- to medium- range planes. The largest aircraft currently Air Transat Montreal, Canada (charter) American Airlines Miami, USA Delta Air Lines Atlanta, USASpirit Airlines Fort Lauderdale, USA United Airlines Houston, USA
Table 1 Airlines serving Managua International Airport
Incoming international passengers were 391,584 in 2012, a 2.4% CAGR since 2008. About 51% of these passengers were United States nationals (198,742), followed by Nicaraguan nationals living abroad (51,576), or 13.2%. European nationals totaled 8.5% of incoming international passengers with 33,131.
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Out of the 175,000 Nicaraguans citizens who departed from the country through Managua Airport in 2012, the most popular destination was the United States, with over 100,000, or around 62% of the total, followed at a distant second place by Panama, with over 13,000 passengers or around 7%. Nicaragua has direct air connection with 4 cities in the United States (Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Atlanta and Houston) and 1 city in Panama (Panama City).
Domestic service at the airport is limited to one airline: Avianca Nicaragua, formerly known as La Costeña. The service connects the capital with the Atlantic Coast region’s two most important cities: Bluefields and Puerto Cabezas, and also the touristic destination of Corn Island. Domestic terminal is located next to the international terminal and usage fee is currently US$1.50. Domestic routes are served with ATR 72, a turboprop short-haul airliner.
According to EAAI, almost 145,000 passengers used the domestic terminal in 2013.
There is no data available regarding peak hours by day at Managua airport. However, based on itineraries provided by the airport website and cross examining such information with airlines’ websites to confirm the aircraft type used in such service, we can estimate the amount of available seats per hour, which serves as a base line to estimate peak hours. Figure 2 shows the largest amount of available seats is in the early morning (7:00AM) and late night (7:00 – 9:00PM). This estimation reflects the country’s lack of connectivity, given that passengers need to flight to larger airports in Central or North America to connect towards their final destination.
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Figure 2 Seat Availability by hour (International Terminal Only)
Lack of air connectivity has been extensively discussed in Nicaragua by both government officials and private sector. Although airlines have increased frequencies, or upgrade the aircraft serving these routes to cope with increasing demand, no new routes have been opened.
In 2012, Italian airline Blue Panorama opened a route between Rome and Managua, but it reduced to a 4-months seasonal flight due to low demand. Compared to other countries in the region, Nicaragua (along with Honduras) is the only country in Central America without a direct flight connection to western United States or Europe. Recently, the President Economic Advisor recognized the lack of direct connections to Europe is still a big bottleneck neck and that “we’re conversations with some airlines in order to change this”. The Spanish airline Iberia is the largest European operator in the region with 17 weekly flights between Central America and Madrid.
Ground transportation in Managua airport is limited to private taxis and hotel shuttles.
Parking is located in front of the international terminal, with a minimum one-hour charge of C$20 (US$ 0.80) and C$10 (US$ 0.40) per every 30 extra minutes. Over-night parking fee is C$150 (or about US$5) per night. The airport also has various rental car agencies located in the international terminal. There is a bus stop located in front of the airport, which is served by public buses. Many hotels offer shuttle service to their arriving and departing guests, as well as travel agencies offering ground transportation to touristic destinations outside of
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Managua. Adelante Express, a travel agency based in San Juan del Sur, charges US$45 for a single trip between the airport and San Juan del Sur, which is located 140 Km. south of Managua.
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