The runway of Cuenca's Mariscal La Mar Airport will undergo maintenance, requiring temporary closures on weekends. The Cuenca Airport Corporation (CORPAC) has scheduled the works to minimize disruptions.

The first closure will take place from November 29 to December 1, 2024, with subsequent closures as follows:

December 6 to December 8, 2024

December 13 to December 15, 2024

December 20 to December 22, 2024

December 27 to December 29, 2024

January 1 to January 5, 2025

January 10 to January 12, 2025

January 17 to January 19, 2025

January 24 to January 26, 2025

Closure Hours:

Fridays at 11:00 PM

Reopening on Sundays at 6:00 PM

CORPAC has coordinated these dates with airlines to avoid inconveniences for flights and passengers.

On Wednesday, July 31, 2024, Quiport announced that the Mariscal Sucre Airport in Quito will resume its expansion to "improve the passenger experience and increase operational capacity."

In November 2019, the expansion of the passenger terminal began but was interrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to Quiport, the investment amounts to USD 74.2 million. Of this amount, USD 19.1 million has already been spent, and USD 55.1 million is "yet to be executed."

There are four levels in the terminal expansion, which is an additional 25% and will be carried out between 2024 and 2025:

Level 0:

- Expansion of technical rooms and storage areas

Level 1:

- Expansion of the public arrivals hall

- Baggage claim area

- Increase in the capacity of international baggage carousels

- Reconfiguration of the Customs area

- Expansion of the duty-free store and baggage handling system

Level 2:

- Expansion of the public departures hall

- Passenger check-in area with 20 new counters and 12 self-check-in machines

- Pre-boarding lounge for 350 passengers

- New dining spaces

- Expansion of the international departure duty-free store

Level 3:

- Expansion of the international VIP lounge

The only runway of José Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport in Guayaquil will be out of service for six hours next Friday, July 19, 2024, due to scheduled maintenance work. The closure will occur from 06:30 to 12:30. During these hours the airport will stay open for passengers but no airplanes will be able to take off or land. 

Since June 27, 2023, Copa Airlines has been flying between Panama and Manta. Because this flight has been in operation for one year, Informativo Digital Manabita has published a post on Facebook with interesting data:

• The service to Manta International Airport started with 3 weekly flights. Due to higher-than-expected demand, the frequency has been increased to 4 flights per week.
• The occupancy percentage has been higher than 80% in the first year of operation.
• The flights carried more than 39,000 passengers in the first year. This is considerably more than the 12,000 passengers that Copa Airlines projected for the first year.
• The main feeders for this flight are New York City, Miami, Panama, and Havana.

Copa Airlines is based in Panama City and is a member of the Star Alliance, which includes member airlines such as United Airlines and Lufthansa. Copa Airlines operates with a hub-and-spoke model, with the modern airport in Panama City serving as the hub. The airline specializes in connecting places in North and Central America with destinations in South America.

Airlines with a hub-and-spoke system usually offer convenient connections at the hub. The biggest complaint from passengers is that this is not the case for the flights to Manta. The layover time is too long for most destinations in the USA. This doesn't mean that you shouldn't use these flights, but before booking, you should make sure that the layover time is acceptable for you. As alternatives, you can fly from Guayaquil International Airport (accessible by land travel) or Quito International Airport (accessible by taking an Avianca or LATAM flight to Quito).

Due to maintenance work on its sole runway, Quito International Airport will suspend its operations from 02:00 to 12:00 on May 18 (Saturday). The passenger terminal will remain open during these hours.

The flights that cannot land or depart will be rescheduled in coordination with the airlines.

Future closures

Operations at the airport will also be suspended on June 1, June 8, June 15, June 22, June 29, July 6, July 13, July 20, September 7, September 14 and September 21.