Airport will reopen Monday, a week ahead of schedule, according to the mayor

Cuenca mayor Marcelo Cabrera announced Friday that Cuenca’s Mariscal La Mar Airport will open a full week ahead of schedule, on Monday September 12. When the runway resurfacing project began on August 19, administrators said the airport would reopen between September 19 and 21.

Cuenca airport’s new runway (El Mercurio)

According to Cabrera, dry weather conditions over the past three weeks allowed work to be completed earlier than expected and accelerated the drying process for the new asphalt landing strip.

Cabrera said that the Monday reopening was chosen because Latam and Tame airlines need 72 hours to resume operations at the Cuenca airport. It may take several more days, he added, for a full flight schedule to be established.

The mayor made his announcement on two Cuenca talk radio programs Friday morning.

Cabrera was on the first flight to land on the new runway, arriving about 4 p.m. Friday. Also on board on the flight from Guayaquil was Giovanni Dillon, director of the Directorate of Civil Aviation and Public Works for the Ministry of Transport and Cuenca airport director Juan Fernández.

Late Friday, Dillon gave the final okay from his office for the resumption of commercial air operations.