<h2 class="blog-hed2 pb-lg-4 pb-3 text-lg-center">Facilities Toncont&iacute;n International Airport</h2>
<p class="blog-para"><strong>Toncont&iacute;n after the renovation of the hillside runway:</strong>The airport received much notoriety as being one of the most dangerous in the world due to its proximity to mountainous terrain, its short runway, and its historically difficult approach to runway 02. For years efforts were made to replace it with Soto Cano Air Base in Comayagua, which did not occur until 2021 when Comayagua International Airport opened there. In the meantime, Toncont&iacute;n was significantly improved by the work of the Airport Corporation of Tegucigalpa (ACT) and InterAirports, a company contracted by the Honduran government to administer the country's four major airports. The airport has a single asphalt runway, situated at an elevation of 1,005 m (3,297 ft) AMSL. Until May 2009, the runway was only 6,112 ft (1,863 m) in length. In 2007, the approach to runway 02 was made significantly easier by work which systematically bulldozed a large portion of the hillside, immediately before the threshold. Following this work, in May 2009, the southern end of the runway received a 984 ft (300 m) extension, lengthening it to 7,096 ft (2,163 m). As of 2011, the runway is listed as being 2,021 m &times; 45 m (6,631 ft &times; 148 ft).</p>
<p class="blog-para">Boeing 737-800s operated by Copa Airlines are the largest aircraft that normally land at Toncont&iacute;n. Even with its recent runway extension, Toncont&iacute;n's runway is still significantly shorter than that of most international airports. It is so short, in fact, that many aircraft seen by plane spotters are seen to be touching down on the displaced threshold of the runway,[citation needed] which by aviation law is not allowed to be landed on.</p>
<p class="blog-para">Historically, larger aircraft have occasionally landed at Toncont&iacute;n, such as a Douglas DC-8 on a mission with Orbis International in 1987, a C-17 Globemaster in 2008, 2009 and 2011, and Boeing 757s operated by American Airlines, which in 2015 replaced them with Airbus A319s. In the 1980s and early 1990s, SAHSA operated Boeing 727s and Boeing 737s from its hub at Toncont&iacute;n.</p>
<p class="blog-para">Toncont&iacute;n International Airport has 4 gates (2 in the new terminal), a post office, a bank and bureau de change, many restaurants, and several airline lounges, as well as a duty-free shop, car rental services, and a first-aid room. The old terminal is undergoing renovation, and will be used for domestic flights in the future. The new terminal was used for international flights until 2021.</p>
<p class="blog-para">Toncont&iacute;n was also the home of the Aeroclub de Honduras (Honduran Air Club).</p>
<p class="blog-para"><strong>International Flights Suspension: </strong>On May 30, 2008, the crash of TACA Flight 390 prompted the announcement by then Honduran President Manuel Zelaya that all large aircraft operations would move to the Soto Cano Air Base. This move would effectively move all international traffic from Toncont&iacute;n, limiting its use to only domestic flights and small aircraft.</p>
<p class="blog-para">The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) completed a review of Toncont&iacute;n and made safety recommendations regarding the airport. On June 25, 2008, President Zelaya reiterated his position of severely restricting international traffic to and from Toncont&iacute;n andannounced his intention to form a commission that would oversee implementing the safety recommendations of the ICAO report.[citation needed</p>
<p class="blog-para">On July 8, 2008, President Zelaya announced the reopening of Toncont&iacute;n airport at a news conference following a three-hour meeting with businessmen, who had demanded commercial flights resume at Toncont&iacute;n due to Soto Cano Air Base being too far from Tegucigalpa. Zelaya reiterated that all commercial flights would eventually use the new airport at Soto Cano from 2009. This however, was canceled after Zelaya was removed from office on June 28, 2009, in the 2009 Honduran coup d'&eacute;tat. International flights continued to operate to Toncont&iacute;n until November 15, 2021.</p>
<p class="blog-para"><strong>Toncont&iacute;n today Toncont&iacute;n International Airport: </strong>This article is in list format but may read better as prose. You can help by converting this article, if appropriate. Editing help is available. (January 2017)</p>
<p><img class="img-fluid p-lg-0 rounded w-100" title="Facilities Toncont&iacute;n International Airport" src="../../../main/img/airport/tonco/t.webp" alt="Facilities Toncont&iacute;n International Airport"></p>
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<h2 class="blog-hed2 pb-lg-4 pb-3 pt-5">Aerial view of Toncont&iacute;n International Airport</h2>
<p class="blog-para">In 2009 TACA Airlines could not operate to Toncont&iacute;n and apparently the rest of the country's airports because of a state debt to Honduras, but on May 20, 2009, TACA said that the problems with Honduras were resolved.</p>
<p class="blog-para">In 2009 Authorities at the airport finally decided to make use of masks and other measures to prevent the H1N1 flu virus, since the number of cases had risen to 34 in the country.</p>
<p class="blog-para">In 2009, one year after the crash of TACA Flight 390 at Toncont&iacute;n airport that killed five people, business owners near the site of the tragedy complained that they had not been compensated.</p>
<p class="blog-para">In 2008 Honduras' President Manuel Zelaya said that Tegucigalpa, the capital of the country, would benefit from the construction of the Palmerola airport, while others claim that this was an attempt to close Toncont&iacute;n.</p>
<p class="blog-para">The Civil Aviation Authority of Honduras temporarily suspended the operating license of Islena Airlines, part of the Taca El Salvador group, for outstanding debts of 37 million Honduran lempira, leaving the service of internal flights to Honduras in crisis.</p>
<p class="blog-para">In May 2009, a 984 ft (300 m) extension was completed on the south end of the runway, increasing the length of the runway from 6,112 ft (1,863 m) to 7,096 ft (2,163 m). The extension is helpful for take-offs to the north, and rare landings from the north, however, it is debatable whether it will assist with standard landings from the south due to the proximity to nearby mountains.</p>
<p class="blog-para">On July 5, 2009, the airport was closed to all flights and the airspace in and around Toncont&iacute;n was severely restricted due to the planned arrival of ousted Honduran president Manuel Zelaya. Zelaya's private Venezuelan jet was not given landing clearance by the Authorities at Toncont&iacute;n and the military blocked the single runway with vehicles and troops. The plane was then diverted to Managua, Nicaragua.</p>
<p class="blog-para">Due to the bombing attempt by Al-Qaeda of Northwest Airlines Flight 253 on December 25, 2009; the security at Toncont&iacute;n was increased with the use of undercover police officers at the airport.</p>
<p class="blog-para">On January 27, 2010, Honduran ex-president Manuel Zelaya and his family left the country after 120 days seeking refuge at the Brazilian Embassy, they left at 14:45 from Toncont&iacute;n International Airport, to the Dominican Republic, where Zelaya proposed to hold a trial against the people who ran the 2009 Honduran constitutional crisis. Thousands of Hondurans were present outside the airport to witness the moment Zelaya left the country.</p>
<p class="blog-para">In April 2011, the airport authority and the government of Honduras resumed airport relocation talks and announced that work on the new Palmerola airport would start by the fall of 2011 after years of efforts to replace Toncont&iacute;n International with an airport at Palmerola in Comayagua where the Soto Cano Air Base is located.However, in a September 25, 2011 update, President Lobo stated officials were still "evaluating the pros and cons" of constructing the new airport. This comes three years after former President Manuel Zelaya had announced that all commercial flights would be transferred to Soto Cano Air Base; however, work on the new terminal at Soto Cano was then cancelled after Zelaya was removed from office on 28 June 2009 in the 2009 Honduran coup d'&eacute;tat. Upon realization of the Palmerola airport, commercial flights to and from Toncont&iacute;n would continue to operate but will be limited to small aircraft and domestic flights.</p>
<p class="blog-para">During 2018, the airport received 625,593 passengers. Toncont&iacute;n International Airport</p>
<p class="blog-para">As of December 15, 2021, all international carriers operating at Toncontin have moved operations to the new recently inaugurated Comayagua International Airport located in the military air base of Palmerola, located 70 km (43 mi) from Tegucigalpa. Among the airlines that have moved operations are: American Airlines, Avianca El Salvador, Copa Airlines and United Airlines. Airlines such as Aerom&eacute;xico Connect and Spirit Airlines are the new international carriers operating to/from Tegucigalpa/Comayagua.</p>
<p class="blog-para">Toncont&iacute;n International Airport, also called Teniente Coronel Hern&aacute;n Acosta Mej&iacute;a Airport, is located in Tegucigalpa, the capital city of Honduras.</p>
<p class="blog-para">The airport is located about 6km from the city centre in south Tegucigalpa. It was built in 1921 and serves both civil and military operations. It is one of the oldest continuously operational airports in Central America.The Toncont&iacute;n airport has a single asphalt runway (02/20) which is 2,163m (7,096ft) long. The airport was built at an elevation of 1,005m (3,294ft).</p>
<p class="blog-para">The hilly terrain of the region played a vital role in strategic military warfare in the 1924 Civil War. The airport has been notorious due to its short runway and danger posed by the mountainous geographical approach.</p>
<p class="blog-para">The airport is being modernised to meet Class B safety and operational standards of the ICAO. The remodelling was started in 2000 and most of the works were completed by 2006.</p>
<p class="blog-para">The airport is served by AVIAC, TACA, Continental, Aerolineas Sosa, Delta, American, Copa, Central American, CM and Lanhsa Airlines. It handled 493,000 passengers in 2010. The ongoing projects are expected to attract more tourists to Honduras.</p>
<p><img class="img-fluid p-lg-0 rounded w-100" title="Aerial view of Toncont&iacute;n International Airport" src="../../../main/img/airport/tonco/t1.webp" alt="Aerial view of Toncont&iacute;n International Airport"></p>
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<h2 class="blog-hed2 pb-lg-4 pb-3 pt-5">Toncont&iacute;n International Airport expansion</h2>
<p class="blog-para">In 2006, Toncont&iacute;n airport&rsquo;s existing terminal building was expanded and renovated. A new terminal building, three times the size of the old terminal, was constructed. The runway was extended and the customer and operational areas were also refurbished.</p>
<p class="blog-para">The development project also includes procurement, installation and operation of new infrastructure and aeronautical instruments.</p>
<p class="blog-para">The new additions so far include boarding bridges, security scanning equipment and so on. The car parking area will be refurbished and expanded to a capacity of 360 vehicles.</p>
<p class="blog-para"><strong>Runway extensions for Toncont&iacute;n International Airport</strong></p>
<p class="blog-para">The runway 02/20 was 1,863m (6,112ft) long. A large portion of hillside was removed at the threshold of the approach runway 02 in 2007 to reduce landing risks.</p>
<p class="blog-para">&ldquo;The airport is being modernised to meet Class B standards of the ICAO.&rdquo;</p>
<p class="blog-para">A 300m (984ft) extension of the asphalt runway was completed in March 2010, along with improved lighting systems.</p>
<p class="blog-para">The extension was aimed at facilitating safer landings and take-offs. The cost of the project was HNL54m ($2.86m).The runway can accommodate larger commercial aircraft such as Douglas DC-8, Boeing 727 and C-17 Globemaster as a result.</p>
<p><img class="img-fluid p-lg-0 rounded w-100" title="Toncont&iacute;n International Airport expansion" src="../../../main/img/airport/tonco/t2.webp" alt="Toncont&iacute;n International Airport expansion"></p>
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<h2 class="blog-hed2 pb-lg-4 pb-3 pt-5">Toncont&iacute;n International Airport Terminal Features</h2>
<p class="blog-para">The old terminal building serves domestic flights, while the new terminal is used for international flights. Two gates are present in each terminal.</p>
<p class="blog-para">The terminals have various facilities such as Dunkin&rsquo; Donuts, Wendy&rsquo;s, souvenir stores, a duty-free store, an ATM, several restaurants and caf&eacute;s, a post office, airline lounges and bureau de change. Global Air Rescue provides the ambulance services at the airport.</p>
<p class="blog-para">About 15 accidents have been recorded at the airport since 1962 pertaining to its difficult mountainous terrain approach, bad weather conditions and human error.</p>
<p class="blog-para">In October 1989, the scheduled Tan-Sahsa Flight 414 (Boeing 727-200) crashed into a nearby hill while approaching the runway, killing 127 people aboard.</p>
<p class="blog-para">In May 2008, TACA Flight 390 (Airbus A320) overran the runway, killing three people aboard and two on the ground. The accident occurred due to the pilot&rsquo;s error during landing. In February 2011, a Let L-410 Turbolet of Central American Airways crashed in Las Mesitas town killing 14 people</p>
<p class="blog-para">The airport's single runway is 2,163 m (7,096 feet) in length, and is at an altitude of 1,004 m (3,294 feet). Boeing 757s are the largest aircraft that normally land at Toncont&iacute;n, as it has one of the shortest international runways in the world. However, larger aircraft have occasionally landed in Toncont&iacute;n, such as a DC-8 on a mission with Orbis International in 1987; and a C-17 Globemaster in 2008 and 2009.</p>
<p class="blog-para">During the Football War of 1969, Toncont&iacute;n was a major target for the Salvadoran Air Force, and it was bombed on several occasions.</p>
<p class="blog-para">Toncont&iacute;n International Airport has 4 gates (2 in the new terminal), 2 baggage claim belts, 150 short term parking spaces, a post office, a bank, a bureau de change, many restaurants, several airline lounges, a duty free shop, car rental services and a first aid room. The old terminal is undergoing renovation, and will be used for domestic flights in the future. The new terminal is now used for international flights.</p>
<p><img class="img-fluid p-lg-0 rounded w-100" title="Toncont&iacute;n International Airport Terminal Features" src="../../../main/img/airport/tonco/t3.webp" alt="Toncont&iacute;n International Airport Terminal Features"></p>