Departure
99%
vs 95% ▲ 4
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Manuel Márquez de León International Airport (MMLP) serves La Paz, the capital of Baja California Sur, from a site on the western shore of the Gulf of California. A busy mixed civil-military field with a single long ILS-equipped runway, it shares its apron with Mexican Air Force and Navy aviation units, making it an unusual and engaging destination for the simulator pilot.
Manuel Márquez de León International Airport, commonly known as La Paz International Airport, is the principal air gateway to La Paz, Baja California Sur, and is operated by Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico. It is named after Manuel Márquez de León, a Mexican politician, military leader and intellectual native to the state. Alongside its scheduled airline traffic the field hosts Mexican Air Force and Navy aviation units, giving it an interesting mixed civil-military character that sets it apart from many regional Mexican airports and makes it a worthwhile study for the virtual pilot.
The airport lies on the western shore of the Gulf of California at coordinates 24.0727 N, 110.363 W, at a field elevation of 69 feet. It is situated a short distance southwest of the city of La Paz. Air Force Base No. 9 (Base Aérea Militar No. 9) sits immediately to the west of the runway 18 end, and La Paz Naval Air Base, home to the School of Naval Aviation, lies just to the north of the Air Force base, so pilots can expect military traffic in the vicinity.
The airport has a single physical runway, 18/36, measuring 8,189 feet and surfaced in hard standing (concrete). Both directions are lit, and an ILS is provided for runway 18, giving a precision approach into the field from the north.
Radio services are provided by La Paz APP on 120.6 MHz and La Paz TWR on 118.1 MHz, with an ATIS broadcast on 127.9 MHz. An ILS is available for runway 18 for instrument approaches.
The airport served as the headquarters and hub of Aero California from the airline's founding in 1960 until its bankruptcy in 2006, giving it a long association with Baja California Sur's commercial aviation development. It is named in honour of Manuel Márquez de León, a Mexican politician, military leader and intellectual from the state. The field has long combined civil and military functions: Air Force Base No. 9, home to Squadron 203 operating Pilatus PC-7 Turbo Trainer aircraft, sits to the west of the runway 18 end, while La Paz Naval Air Base to its north houses the School of Naval Aviation together with Navy patrol, transport and shipborne squadrons.
Today the airport is a focus city for the regional carrier Calafia Airlines and receives scheduled domestic services to major Mexican hubs along with some international flights to the United States. A general and executive aviation terminal is provided separately from the main passenger facility, and the apron accommodates narrow-body airline traffic alongside the co-located military operations of the Mexican Air Force's Squadron 203 and the Mexican Navy's aviation units and naval air school.