Eloy Alfaro International Airport guide

Eloy Alfaro International Airport sits on the Pacific coast of Manabí province, about 2.5 km east of central Manta. The Ecuadorian Air Force opened the field on 24 October 1978, and it is still a joint civil and military airport. Its single asphalt runway, 05/23, is 2,860 m long.

From 1999 to 2009 the base hosted a United States anti-narcotics surveillance detachment, under a ten-year agreement that Ecuador chose not to renew; the last US surveillance flight left Manta on 17 July 2009. Civil traffic is small, at about 104,000 passengers in 2022.

The original terminal was damaged in the 2016 earthquake. A new terminal, built with Chinese financing at a cost of more than USD 27 million, was handed over provisionally in December 2022. Reports since then describe faults in baggage belts, drainage and air conditioning, and disagreement over who is responsible for maintenance between the Ministry of Transport and Public Works, the civil aviation authority and the municipality of Manta.

Scheduled service is limited. Avianca Ecuador and LATAM Ecuador fly to Quito, and Copa Airlines flies to Panama City. The government has discussed a public-private concession for the airport, but no operator has been appointed.