Barranquilla Airport Guide: Colombia’s Caribbean Gateway
Barranquilla Airport links Colombia's Caribbean coast with Bogota, Miami and Panama City. Read its history, runway, airlines, routes and transport.
By The Aviation Hub
5 min read
Updated October 20, 2026 
Barranquilla has deep aviation roots. SCADTA, the forerunner of Avianca, was founded here in 1919, and the city still runs one of the busiest airports on Colombia’s Caribbean coast. Barranquilla Airport, officially Ernesto Cortissoz International Airport, handled more than three million passengers in 2025. It serves a port city famous for its Carnival and a region of industry, trade and beaches along the Magdalena River delta.
Barranquilla Airport at a Glance
The IATA code is BAQ and the ICAO code is SKBQ. Barranquilla Airport lies in the municipality of Soledad, about 7.5 miles (12 km) south of central Barranquilla. The elevation is 98 feet (30 metres). There is one runway and one passenger terminal with separate domestic and international areas.
Traffic has grown from about 2.9 million passengers in 2016 to more than three million in 2025. Avianca treats the field as a focus city, and the cargo airline Aerosucre is also listed as a focus operator. Colombia’s civil aviation authority, Aerocivil, oversees the airport, which was long run under a private concession. Flight information is on the airport’s official website.
How Barranquilla’s Airport Came to Be
In the early days, airlines built their own airports. SCADTA built Soledad International Airport, which became its domestic operations and maintenance centre. The new airport takes its name from Ernesto Cortissoz Álvarez Correa, a Barranquilla entrepreneur who helped found SCADTA in 1919. He died in 1924 when the Junkers F.13 Tolima crashed, one of the country’s first air fatalities.
The old Soledad field saw some remarkable innovations. In 1946 British South American Airways flew a route to London via Bermuda, nicknamed the Lightning Route to Europe. In the early 1950s, a rail based system moved Douglas DC-4 aircraft sideways to the unloading gangways, reportedly cutting unloading time in half.
The current airport opened on 7 April 1981, just north of the old site, with a new terminal, control tower, apron and runway. The former passenger building became the cargo terminal. In 2007 Aerocivil granted Barranquilla Airport open skies status, allowing any airline to fly any route to the city.
Runways at Barranquilla Airport
A single asphalt runway, 05/23, measures 3,000 metres (9,842 feet) long and 45 metres (148 feet) wide. It has precision Category I instrument approaches at both ends. The length suits narrow body jets such as the Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737-800, and allows wide body aircraft on medium haul routes.
Strong northeasterly trade winds blow from roughly December to April, making runway 05 the usual choice. Runway 23 takes over when winds shift during the wetter months. Heavy tropical rain has caused several runway excursions.
In 2006 a Cielos DC-10 freighter overran the runway in bad weather, injuring all six crew. Later that month an Avianca flight with 135 people aboard also overran, and everyone survived. In 2008 an Aires flight left the runway after a landing gear problem, again without loss of life.
Terminals and Airlines
The terminal has two areas. Domestic flights use gates 6 to 13, where gates 6 to 9 have boarding bridges and gates 10 to 13 are reached on foot across the apron. International flights use gates 1 to 5, and all except gate 1 have jet bridges. A renovation was due around 2020 but was delayed by the pandemic.
Avianca is the largest airline, with domestic links to Bogota, Medellín and Cali and international services to Miami. LATAM and low cost carriers such as Wingo and JetSMART add domestic competition. Copa connects Barranquilla Airport with its Panama City hub, and American flies to Miami. Star Alliance has the strongest presence through Avianca and Copa.
Routes and Destinations
Bogota is the busiest route from Barranquilla Airport by a wide margin, with frequent shuttles to the capital. Medellín, Cali and the island of San Andrés are other key domestic links. Leisure travellers use the city as a base for the wider Caribbean coast.
Miami and Panama City form the core international routes. Avianca already served Fort Lauderdale when JetBlue joined it on 1 October 2026, and Air Europa adds Madrid from 18 December 2026. At roughly 4,750 miles (7,640 km), Madrid is the field’s longest scheduled route.
Traffic peaks during Carnival, usually in February or March, and over Christmas and Easter. The cargo terminal uses less than 30 per cent of its capacity, leaving room for growth.
Getting to and from Barranquilla Airport
Taxis from the official rank outside arrivals are the most common choice. The ride to central Barranquilla takes around 25 to 40 minutes, depending on traffic along the main road through Soledad. Fares are moderate, and agreeing the price in advance avoids surprises.
App based rides operate in the city and are often cheaper than official taxis. City buses run along the main avenues and are the cheapest option, though awkward with luggage. For most visitors an app based ride is the cheapest sensible choice. Car hire offices and parking sit in the public area outside arrivals. Cartagena and Santa Marta are about two hours away by road.
Spotting and Photography
Barranquilla Airport offers a mix of Avianca, LATAM and low cost jets, plus cargo traffic. Public roads around the perimeter give views of approaches, especially runway 05 arrivals from the southwest. The flat land near the Magdalena River keeps sightlines open.
The sun sits to the south for most of the year, so positions on the southeastern side of the runway generally work best. Mornings bring the clearest light before the afternoon heat haze builds. Carnival week adds extra flights and the occasional larger aircraft.
Stay on public land, keep away from fences and follow instructions from police and airport staff. Security is taken seriously at Colombian airports.
What Comes Next
The delayed terminal renovation remains the key project, as traffic has grown well beyond the levels the 1981 building was designed for. New routes to Fort Lauderdale and Madrid show growing international interest. Open skies rules mean any airline can add Barranquilla to its network. The city’s growing role as a business and events centre should add further demand.
The cargo terminal has spare capacity, and the city’s port and industrial base could support more freight. Compare the field with other Colombian airports on our Airports of the World map. The verdict: Barranquilla Airport is growing steadily, and its new European and US routes point to a busier international future.
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