Departure
97%
vs 95% ▲ 2
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
El Tepual is the principal gateway to Chile's Northern Patagonia, sitting a short distance from Puerto Montt with the volcanoes of Calbuco and Osorno visible in the distance. It is a substantial single-runway commercial field with full radar and tower services, making it a straightforward if busy destination for simulator pilots flying in the Los Lagos region.
El Tepual International Airport serves Puerto Montt in Chile's Los Lagos Region and is regarded as one of the country's most important airports, functioning as the principal gateway to Chilean Patagonia. It lies near the archaeological site of Monte Verde and offers a single long, lit runway equipped with an ILS, making it a capable destination for both airliner traffic and simulator pilots seeking a realistic South American approach.
The airport is located at Puerto Montt in the Los Lagos Region of Chile, at the centre of Northern Patagonia. Traffic is worked by Puerto Montt Tower, Approach and Centre, indicating that the field sits within controlled airspace with radar and procedural services extending well beyond the immediate vicinity.
El Tepual has a single physical runway, 17/35, measuring 8,691 feet and surfaced in hard material (concrete), lit for night operations. Runway 35 is equipped with an ILS, providing an instrument approach into the field; runway 17 is not published with an ILS.
Radio services are provided under the callsign Puerto Montt, with Tower on 118.1 MHz, Approach on 123.7 MHz, Centre on 128.3 MHz, Ground on 121.9 MHz and Radio on 126.9 MHz. Runway 35 carries an ILS for instrument approaches.
The airport lies with the Calbuco and Osorno volcanoes visible in the background, both of which serve as prominent landmarks for pilots orientating themselves toward the field. The nearby archaeological site of Monte Verde is also a notable feature of the surrounding area.
The runway at El Tepual was completed in April 1960 and the airfield became the site of a major airlift operation following the magnitude 9.5 earthquake that struck the region on 22 May 1960. The airport, with its original terminal, was officially inaugurated in 1963. Following the end of Augusto Pinochet's presidency, a national programme to build new terminals and freeways benefited Puerto Montt among other smaller Chilean cities. Growth in international tourism during the early 1990s, particularly from Argentina and Brazil, led to the opening of a new terminal in 1995, with Lan Chile as the largest operator at the time. A further, larger terminal was inaugurated in February 2010, increasing the number of jetways from two to five and improving check-in, baggage and security facilities. Plans exist for a new parallel runway to become operative by the mid-2020s.
El Tepual functions as a commercial and private aviation facility and remains one of Chile's busiest airports, handling scheduled services from LATAM Chile, Sky Airline and JetSMART to destinations including Santiago, Concepcion, Punta Arenas, Balmaceda and Bariloche, as well as a range of charter operators. The airport is limited to aircraft of Boeing 707 size or smaller, with Boeing 737 and Airbus A318 to A321 types among the most common visitors, though the largest cargo aircraft handled has been the Boeing 777F. It is operated under concession by Chile's IDC.