In an interview for the Revista Punta, Julio Ernesto Gutierrez Conte, President of Aeropuertos Argentina 2000emphasized the importance of building the new airport in the GalapagosIslands, totally self-sustaining, ecological and environmentallyfriendly, that will become an emblem and an example for the rest of theworld.
What was the impetus for the idea to build an eco-friendly airport in the Galapagos Islands?
The project began to take shape in September 15th, 2008, when theEcuadorian government gave our company the rights to break ground onthe island. The Baltra terminal is visited by over 300.000 passengersfrom all over the world and, with this initiative; travelers will havethe chance to enter into the Islands´ National Park which, as we know,is one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
What drove you to present this project in the first place?
We accepted the challenge of building the first eco-friendly airport inthe world the minute we were given the rights to the Baltra Terminal.In the reality, any project that is focused on ecology is quitecomplicated; so, we are giving us an enormous amount of support to helpus build a stable and sustainable airport that adheres to the higheststandards of environmental conservation.
Running a construction project on the Galapagos must be challenging…
Let’s nor forget that it is virtually a sanctuary for all of humanity,particularly with regard to the respect and extreme care for thenatural world.
What is the total investment for this project?
Building and meeting environmental quality and design standards – we have invested 20 million dollars up front.
Could you share any of the specifics of thus new airport with us?
The building will have a surface area of approximately 6000 squaremeters, with the capacity to dock 8-10 flights per day, averaging 100passengers per plane (with IATA-C levels of service). Our plan is forit to be a high quality terminal, eco-friendly, with a low impact onthe environment. To achieve this, there are three key components to theproject: optimize the natural climate conditions to minimize the needfor air conditioning, maximize natural lighting within the airport andincorporate renewable energy systems.
