National Airport

Rafael Cabrera Mustelier

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Address: Central Road km 5 ½, Nueva Gerona, Isla de la Juventud

Telephones: (00 53) (46) 321458 – 322300 – 321416

Runway length to land: It has 2 runways to land.

Runway 1 of 2500 meters with the magnetic direction at 50 degrees and is also the main runway.

Track 2 of 1700 meters with the magnetic direction of 230 degrees.

Runway Elevation: 22

 

Description: It is located at KM 5 1/2 of the Santa Fe road, about 5 km from the city of Nueva Gerona.

Single-level terminal, made of reinforced concrete, with administrative and service facilities such as:

• A main or waiting room.
• A departure lounge.
• An arrival lounge.
• Coffee shop.
• A Caracol chain store.
• A parking area.

 

This terminal is mainly intended for domestic flights mainly from Havana City and Cayo Largo del Sur.

The Airport is designed to serve 140 passengers per hour entering and leaving.

 

Accommodation near the airport:

Hotels

Rancho del Tesoro Hotel

Villa Isla de la Juventud Hotel

El Colony Hotel

 

 

Rental houses

Villa Nery

Villa Gerona

Alberto House

Aurora House

Villa Choly

Alina y Camilo House

 

Surface: Asphaltic concrete.

 

Endurance: PCN20/F/B/W/U

 

Aircraft parking: 4 aircraft parking positions, two on platform number one and two on platform number two.

 

Handling services: Baggage handling. Load and unload. Passenger cabin cleaning. Starting aid. Signalman. Weight and balance. Prior instruction. All based on IATA recommendations through the Handling Manual.

 

Navigation aid: NDB.

 

Fire category: AVBL CAT 3.

 

Light beacon system:

• Approach lights.
• Threshold lights.
• Runway edge lights.
• Taxiway lights.
• Aerodrome lighthouse.
• VASIS type PAPI glizada system.
• Obstacle light on Cerro de la Guanábana, 1 km east-northeast of header 23.

 

Regular hours: It operates from 07:00 UTC to 19:00 UTC.

 

Airport history: It was on November 6, 1928 when the Isle of Pines spoke of airports for the first time, since Decree 1807 was issued, authorizing the creation of the maritime airports of Nueva Gerona and Los Indios. In addition, in that same year the Model Prison landing field had been created, with an extension of 700 meters long and a width of 440, located in front of the prison, which provided services to officials and other personalities who went to the capital. pinera and that they had nothing to do with the famous prison.

 

But it was after the arrival of the Municipal Judge, Doctor Waldo Medina Méndez, in 1942, when they began, at his initiatives, to carry out works of social benefit among them, in June 1944, at a meeting of the Pinera Chamber of Commerce , proposes the creation of an airport of the territory.

 

His argument was simple. This was a small island and aviation was an advance as a means of fast transportation, for all those who needed to travel and move to the country’s capital, he proposed that it be located next to the capital city.

 

To this end, a Pro-Municipal Airport committee was created. The organization promoted auctions, collections and jobs among the inhabitants. At the beginning of 1945, the Island acquired the North American Naval Air Base, in an auction for a value of 125,000 pesos.

 

Due to the debts that it had contracted with the Municipal Board of Pro-Aeropuerto, despite the efforts they had made for its construction, it was necessary to lease it without having finished it, along with the one in Santa Fe, to the Express Company. Aereo Iberoamericano S.A. in July 1949 at a price of 150 pesos per year. To complete both airports, the company used local labor and materials and ceded 50 percent of the landing rights in the territory.

 

The transaction was for a decade, extendable to another ten years. On November 11, 1946, the airport was completed, which was named after a prominent Cuban aviator: Pepe Barrientos.

 

In October 1948, the Aero Vías Q Company inaugurated a line between Nueva Gerona and Havana, round trip (except on Sundays) with a daily flight and a capacity of 20 seats. The price was 12.95 pesos.