Tababela Airport, a challenge for pilots

Commander Raquel Sviercovich

The International Airport Mariscal Sucre recently opened in Tababela, located at 18 kms from the center of the capital, registered some drawbacks in security and mobilization of passengers. Its pros and cons are determined by the aviation pilot Commander Raquel Sviercovich, who gave an interview to the magazine Familia of El Comercio newspaper, published last Sunday, under the title: “The new airport does not scare Sviercovich“.

Piloting in a risky heaven

According to the Commander Sviercovich, to fly a plane at the old airport of Quito was already a difficult task, “do it in the new airport is a more complicated challenge,” revealed the expert pilot, adding that the incline range that the aircraft must reach in order to land is higher than the last. This means that the room to maneuver is reduced by half, which would make the pilots to take off and land almost vertically.

The treacherous track in Tababela

Commander Raquel Sviercovich and her crew

The new track has almost a thousand meters in length more than the old airport, which is very helpful for pilots. However, the plateau where the track was built is very narrow, initially they thought to build two taxi ways  in which the aircraft would roll, but the track began to crumble and  ended with a single track of one way because the other could not be built.

The climate does not favor Tababela planes

The new terminal is located  some feet height lower than the other one, “it affects the engine power. They do not respond well and carrying capacity is lost.” Another concern pointed out by the Commander is that in the summer there are strong winds in Tababela and therefore such wind currents could negatively affect the movement of the plane.

The pilot indicated that it would have been more appropriate to invest in the old airport Mariscal Sucre, expropriate the land of the FAE and build there another path to the terminal “many airports around the world are in the city.” The new international airport Mariscal Sucre is a challenge for any pilot. “We all have to practice with the simulator before landing on it,” said Commander Sviercovich.