Beginning of 2027
Works at Puerto Natales airfield will begin in January
The works will have a budget of 7 billion pesos and will be structured through a work rotation system to ensure the operability of the high season.
Given the deterioration caused by the southern climate and the increase in high-tonnage commercial aircraft traffic, the Ministry of Public Works (MOP) announced that the conservation works on the runway of the Teniente Julio Gallardo Airfield in Puerto Natales will begin during the first quarter of 2027.
The decision was communicated by the regional ministerial secretary of Public Works, Alejandro Marusic, and the regional presidential delegate, Ericka Farías, after holding a multisectoral working group with authorities and associations of the "Productive Bloc of the Province of Última Esperanza".
The intervention involves an investment of nearly 7 billion pesos and will extend the useful life of the pavement by ten years, serving as a preliminary step to the definitive expansion project of the airfield.
Because the application of high-strength asphalt and its binding emulsions requires temperatures above 7 °C and no rain, the work must necessarily be carried out during the summer period.
To reconcile the works with the tourist and economic flow, the MOP and the General Directorate of Civil Aeronautics (DGAC) agreed on a shift plan with continuous air operations, January to the first half of February: 3 days of commercial flights and 4 days of work per week will be maintained.
In the second half of February to March, 2 days of flights and 5 days of weekly works will be scheduled. It is worth mentioning that the DGAC will operate 24-hour shifts during the works. In addition, 1,200 meters of runway will remain permanently available for smaller aircraft, aeromedical evacuations and military flights.
"We understand the concern of the productive and tourism associations. Therefore, we are looking for a technical formula that guarantees the operational safety of the runway without interrupting connectivity or the economic activity of Última Esperanza," highlighted the regional ministerial secretary Alejandro Marusic.
For her part, delegate Ericka Farías valued the space for dialogue and reported that permanent coordination and information meetings will be maintained throughout the entire development of the works.
