Departure
98%
vs 95% ▲ 3
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Jorge Wilsterman International Airport serves Cochabamba, the principal city of Bolivia's central valley, from a high-altitude field at 8,350 feet elevation. Its two crossing runways, one of them well over 12,000 feet long, reflect the extra length required for safe operations at this altitude, and the airport handles both domestic and international traffic under Cochabamba's air traffic control.
Jorge Wilsterman International Airport lies at Cochabamba in the Departamento de Cochabamba, Bolivia, serving as the city's airline gateway. For a visiting pilot the airport's defining characteristic is its elevation of 8,350 feet, which, combined with the thin high-altitude air typical of the Bolivian Andes, has a marked effect on aircraft performance, climb rates and required runway length, and should be factored carefully into any approach or departure planning.
The airport is situated at coordinates 17.4181 South, 66.1772 West, in the Cochabamba valley of central Bolivia. It is served by its own control tower and approach service, callsign Cochabamba, indicating that arriving and departing traffic operates within controlled airspace under positive ATC direction rather than as an uncontrolled field.
The airport has two physical runways aligned 14/32 and 05/23, both with hard surfaces and runway lighting. Runway 14/32 is the longer of the pair, listed at 12,132 feet in the 14 direction and 11,471 feet in the 32 direction, while runway 05/23 is shorter, at 8,697 feet in the 05 direction and 7,957 feet in the 23 direction. There is no ILS available at the field.
Cochabamba APP provides approach control on 119.3 MHz, with ground movements handled on 121.9 MHz. Cochabamba RDO operates on 129.9 MHz, and the terminal control area frequency, also under the Cochabamba TMA designation, is 123.5 MHz. Cochabamba TWR, the tower frequency, is 118.1 MHz. As there is no ILS at the airport, arriving pilots should expect to fly a non-precision or visual approach in coordination with these controlling agencies.
Jorge Wilsterman International Airport is classified as a large airport handling scheduled airline service, functioning as one of Bolivia's principal air transport hubs. Pilots planning a visit should bear in mind the high field elevation when calculating performance margins, particularly given the long runway 14/32, which is provided specifically to accommodate the reduced performance associated with operations at this altitude.