Departure
96%
vs 95% ▲ 1
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
La Aurora International Airport (MGGT/GUA) is Guatemala's principal gateway, sitting on high ground immediately south of Guatemala City at an elevation of 4,908 feet. It offers a single long hard-surfaced runway with an ILS approach, making it a demanding but rewarding destination for simulator pilots exploring Central American terrain.
La Aurora International Airport is the main airport serving Guatemala City, the capital of Guatemala, and is operated by the General Directorate of Civil Aeronautics under the Ministry of Communications, Infrastructure, and Housing. It functions as both a public and military airfield and is the busiest airport in Central America by passenger numbers, acting as a hub for Avianca Guatemala, DHL de Guatemala and Transportes Aereos Guatemaltecos. For the simulator pilot, its high elevation and mountain-ringed setting make it a notable and technically interesting field to fly into.
The airport lies about 6.4 kilometres south of the centre of Guatemala City and roughly 25 kilometres from the colonial city of Antigua Guatemala, at coordinates 14.5833 N, 90.5275 W. Its field elevation of 4,908 feet places it well above sea level, a factor that affects aircraft performance and approach planning in the surrounding high terrain of the Guatemala Department.
La Aurora has a single physical runway, 02/20, a hard-surfaced and lit strip. Runway 02 is 9,808 feet long and equipped with an ILS, while the reciprocal Runway 20 measures 9,073 feet.
Pilots should expect to work Guatemala radio on the following frequencies: AFIS on 126.9 MHz, Approach on 119.3 MHz, ATIS on 126.5 MHz, CLD on 120.7 MHz, Clearance Delivery/Ground on 121.9 MHz, and Tower on 118.1 MHz. Runway 02 is served by an ILS for instrument approaches.
The airport's position just south of Guatemala City's centre and its proximity to Antigua Guatemala, some 25 kilometres away, make the city itself and the surrounding high ground useful reference points when approaching the field visually.
La Aurora International Airport has a long history intertwined with the growth of Guatemala City. In October 2004, Iberia began nonstop service to Madrid using Airbus A340s, a route that followed the airline's closure of its Miami hub. The airport was closed for six months in 2020, from March to September, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The field has also seen several serious accidents over the decades: a Guatemalan Air Force Douglas C-47 was damaged beyond repair nearby on 1 March 1980; on 6 April 1993 a TACA Boeing 767 overran the end of what was then Runway 19 after landing on a flooded surface, with no fatalities despite the aircraft being written off; on 28 April 1995 a Faucett Douglas DC-8 leased by Million Air overshot the runway and crashed into houses, killing six people on the ground; and on 21 December 1999 a Cubana de Aviacion McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 overshot the same runway during landing and crashed into a residential area, killing 16 of the 314 on board along with two people on the ground.
Today La Aurora operates as Guatemala's principal international airport, serving as a hub for Avianca Guatemala, DHL de Guatemala and Transportes Aereos Guatemaltecos, and handling a substantial mix of international and domestic traffic. It remains a joint public and military facility administered by the General Directorate of Civil Aeronautics.