Maiquetía Simón Bolívar International Airport Guide

Maiquetía Simón Bolívar International Airport opened in 1945 on Venezuela's Caribbean coast, in La Guaira state. The Instituto Autónomo Aeropuerto Internacional de Maiquetía (IAIM), created in 1971, operates the airport, which sits 72 metres above sea level between the Caribbean Sea and the coastal mountain range that separates it from Caracas. Two asphalt runways, 3,610 metres and 3,270 metres long, handle both wide-body international traffic and shorter domestic routes.

The airport ranks as Venezuela's busiest by passenger traffic. A 2007 renovation, Proyecto Maiquetía 2000, added new customs and immigration areas, a cargo terminal, and a covered walkway linking the domestic and international terminals. Conviasa, the state-owned carrier, and Avior Airlines anchor the domestic network, while Copa Airlines, LATAM, Iberia and Turkish Airlines connect Caracas to hubs across the Americas, Europe and the Middle East.

Travelers reach the airport almost exclusively via the Autopista Caracas–La Guaira, a highway completed in 1953 that passes through the Boquerón tunnels before descending from the mountains to the Caribbean coast. The airport takes its name from Simón Bolívar, who led Venezuela's independence movement in the early 19th century.