Enrique Adolfo Jiménez Airport
| Enrique Adolfo Jiménez Airport Aeropuerto Enrique Adolfo Jiménez | |||||||||||
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| IATA: ONX – ICAO: MPEJ | |||||||||||
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| Airport type | International | ||||||||||
| Location | Colón, Panama | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 8 m / 26 ft | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 09°21′24″N 079°52′03″W / 9.35667°N 79.86750°WCoordinates: 09°21′24″N 079°52′03″W / 9.35667°N 79.86750°W | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  MPEJ Location in Panama | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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Enrique Adolfo Jiménez Airport (Spanish: Aeropuerto Enrique Adolfo Jiménez) (IATA: ONX, ICAO: MPEJ) is an international airport located in Colón, Panama, offering scheduled airline flights to Panama City, and to other destinations. This airport contains car rentals, a duty-free shop, restaurants, and coffee shops. The airport is located near the Sheraton Hotel and Radisson Hotel and Casino.[2]
Prior to its use as a civil airport, the facility was a United States Army (later USAF) military airfield, established in 1918. It was turned over to the Panama Canal Zone government in 1949, and was converted into a civil airport. American control over the airport ended in 1979 with the turnover of the Panama Canal Zone to the government of Panama.
History
For over thirty years, the field was operational with the United States Air Force and other entities before it, eventually becoming France Air Force Base. Following its closure the field came under civilian control, becoming Colon Airport.
Post-military use
France Air Force Base was deactivated on 1 November 1949 by the United States Air Force due to budgetary reductions, turned into a civil airport in the United States Canal Zone, and renamed Colon Airport. The USAF, however, maintained jurisdiction over the airport until 31 December 1973, and it was occasionally used as a satellite field of Albrook AFB.
As Colon Airport, it was served by Boeing 307 Stratoliners and other early airliners flying Pan Am routes from Miami to Buenos Aires, Argentina via Havana, Cuba and Kingston, Jamaica into Cristobal and Colón, then continuing south via Lima, Peru, into Buenos Aires. Being located near the midpoint of this route and at the point where it intersected the Panama Canal made this location a useful one for north-south airline services.
With the return of the Canal Zone to Panama on 1 October 1979, the airport was renamed for Enrique Adolfo Jiménez, who served as Panamanian president from 1945 to 1948.
On August 20, 2013, Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli opened the new Enrique A. Jimenez International Airport. The new terminal can serve up to 1000 passengers at the peak period and the new runway can land aircraft of B757 type.
Airlines and destinations
Air Panama aero-taxi Charter: Marcos A. Gelabert International Airport.
Air Panamá internacional: Bahia Piña, Bocas del Toro, Carti, Changuinola, Chitre, Contadora, Corazón de Jesus, David, El Porvenir, El Real, Garachine, Isla San Jose, Jaque, La Palma, Mamitupo, Mulatupo, Pedasi, Playon Chico, Puerto Obaldia, Rio Sidra, Sambu, San Miguel, Tubuala, Tupile, Ustupo.Charter: Aguadulce, Colon, Coronado, Farallon, Guararé, Isla Coiba, Islas Secas, Isla Viveros, Mansucum, Santiago, Tonosi
Incidents and accidents
In 1994, this airport was the departure point for Alas Chiricanas Flight 00901, later downed by terrorists.
References
- ↑ Airport information for MPEJ at World Aero Data. Data current as of October 2006.Source: DAFIF.
- ↑ Enrique Adolfo Jimenez Airport, Colón, Panama