Stalemate consumes "world's most dangerous" airport Construction at Tegucigalpa's Toncontin International Airport moves along at a snail's pace. The runway, one of the shortest in the world, may never be extended due to bureaucratic bungling By LARRY SCHWARZ TEGUCIGALPA ? Anyone who has flown into Tegucigalpa's Toncontin International Airport (TGU) can tell you about the heart-stopping landings. In fact, many pilots have declared it one of the most dangerous airports in the world. Built in 1949 and opened in 1952, it's a classic example of obsolete infrastructure, and whether or not it will ever be modernized is anybody's guess. The landings at Toncontin are legendary. On the website of the Sun-Sentinel, a large newspaper in southern Florida, a Shockwave animation provides a step-by-step demonstration. "The airline begins its approach about nine miles from the airport," the site says. "Within that distance, the plane must descend steeply from 7,500 feet to 3,294 feet. There is no radar to help guide its approach. The plane must bank sharply on final approach to avoid mountain ridges. The runway slopes downhill, making braking and stopping difficult. The runway is only 5,437 feet long ? most others are at least 7,000 ft ? and has no lights. If the plane doesn't stop in that distance, it will fall into a deep ravine at the end of the runway." Information from the Internet should always be taken with a grain of salt, even if it is from what is perceived to be a reputable source. The reality is that an acceptable radar system blankets the entire nation, but pilots fly into Toncontin visually using the mountains as their guide; planes are diverted when visibility is poor. The correct distance of the runway is 1,869 meters (6,132 feet) ? still very short by international standards. Carlos Cervantes, the airport manager, confirmed that lights are certainly available if necessary, but noted that the airport closes at 6:00pm. Oh, and the part about the ravine at the end of the runway ? it's really more like a small cliff. Howard Rosenzweig, an expatriate who lives in Copan Ruinas rarely flies out of Toncontin, since it is so far away, but he has plenty to say about its infamous reputation. "I think most people who fly into TGU ? tourists, business people, diplomats, etc. ? are not aware of any danger," he said in an interview via e-mail. "This information is not readily available to the public. Locals, however, know the danger, which probably explains why many passengers (make the sign of the) cross prior to landing and break into applause upon a successful touchdown." "A particularly nasty hill is just at the start of the airstrip, which used to have a restaurant on it," he said. "Previously, patrons at the restaurant used to sit outside and watch the jets land literally right over their heads." The hill has since been reduced in size. Pilots must receive special training to land at Toncontin, but the level of training seems to depend on which airline you work for and the size of your aircraft. Large airlines, such as Continental require their pilots to practice the landing many times, but smaller airlines have less stringent rules. Eduardo Faasch, a three-year pilot for Islena, flies a Cessna 208 that holds only fourteen passengers. He described his landings as "routine" and looked completely relaxed as he waited in the departure lounge for his upcoming flight to La Ceiba. "The first time you fly into this airport," he said, "you have to fly with an instructor ? maybe twice if you come in at night." There have been dozens of accidents throughout Toncontin's 51-year history, but nearly all of them were non-fatal. Considering the thousands of flights that pass through the airport each year, the accident rate seems remarkably low. In April 1997, a significant incident brought attention to the airport's problems. A U.S. Air Force C-130 cargo plane crashed when the pilot landed too late and didn't have enough runway to make a complete stop. The plane plowed into the adjacent boulevard, burst into flames, and settled about 100 yards from two gas stations. Three people aboard the aircraft died and seven others were injured. After that accident, a serious discussion began on what to do about the airport; it all boiled down to three options. One idea was to build a completely new airport outside of the city. "There was lots of talk in the past about moving the airport to a location outside of Tegucigalpa," said Mr. Rosenzweig," but money is always a problem, and the government can't afford it. Tegucigalpa residents also do not want to drive an hour or more to fly out." The second option was to shift all air traffic to what is now known as Enrique Soto Cano Air Force Base in Comayagua. Proponents argued that it had a large runway,great approaches, and a state of the art radar system. Opponents said that the distance between the base and Tegucigalpa (about 85 kilometers) was much too far, and the road between Comayagua and Tegucigalpa would need to be replaced by an expensive superhighway. The third, and most popular option, was to remodel the existing airport and extend the landing strip. Local residents and the Honduran government have always made it clear that they want to keep the airport exactly where it is. Shortly after the C-130 crash, the Japanese government agreed to donate US$20 million to expand and improve the airport. SOPTRAVI (the Ministry of Public Works, Transportation and Housing) earmarked half of that money to relocate the residents and business owners that would be affected by the improvements. According to Mr. Cervantes, the manager of Toncontin Airport, the transfer of Japanese funds never occurred. In May 1997, Brown & Root, a construction company (and a division of Halliburton) announced a remodeling plan that would include the following: a 300-meter extension of the airport's runway, a shift of the busy boulevard around the southern portion of the airport, and an improved lighting system. This ambitious project was also to include a remodeling of the terminal with the funds collected by the Tegucigalpa Airport Corporation (CAT). Two mechanical boarding ramps were to be installed so passengers would no longer have to walk onto the runway when boarding or disembarking planes. The parking lot was supposed to be reorganized and expanded to hold 360 vehicles. The project languished for the next few years. Then, in October 2000, Honduras turned over its four international airports to a private company as a condition for an International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan. The company now in charge is Interairports, a division of San Francisco International Airport. They are currently under a contractual obligation to provide US$10 million for a new runway. In May 2001, Mr. Rosenzweig wrote in Honduras This Week that reconstruction efforts were at a complete standstill. The problem, he said, was that the government needed to indemnify 170 property owners in order to lengthen the runway, but it couldn't afford to do so. At the same time, Interairports said it couldn't build the runway until the government purchased the properties. Time is now ticking away. If the government doesn't pay off the property owners by 2005, the contract stipulates that Interairports will no longer be required to spend the $10 million in funds as promised. At it stands today, Interairports' lips are totally sealed. The only information they would provide is that the three previously mentioned options were still on the table, and in the near future, there will be a meeting in conjunction with government representatives regarding this issue; a press conference will follow. "We can not say anything right now," said Pedro Grave de Peralta, Public Relations Manager of Interairports. "In the next fifteen days, we will announce all the improvements that we're slated to do over the next two years." Whether or not this is just a ploy to kill more time remains to be seen. Either way, Mr. Peralta believes that Toncontin will never be a safe place, no matter how much money is poured into it. "People say that Toncontin is the worst in the world," he said, "but it's not true. The problem isn't the expansion of the runway. Even if we extend the runway, we will have the same problem. We are surrounded by mountains." Perhaps the best solution is to leave Toncontin exactly as it is. After all, those who are overly concerned for their safety can always fly into Ramon Villeda Morales International Airport in San Pedro Sula (SAP), which is about three hours away; many passengers and airlines prefer it anyway. "It's a much better, safer, convenient, modern airport," said Mr. Rosenzweig. Of course, then there is the treacherous journey along the San Pedro Sula ? Tegucigalpa highway?but that's an entirely different story. _________________________________________________________________ Add photos to your e-mail with MSN 8. Get 2 months FREE*. http://join.msn.com/?page=features/featuredemail