The United States agreed Monday to donate $891,000 to Bogota‘s main airport, El Dorado, for expansion, Caracol Radio reported.
Then director of Colombia’s civil aviation authority, Santiago Castro, announced the deal as part of a “Master Plan” for El Dorado that will serve as a foundation for “a clear plan to follow future expansion.”
Castro stated the necessity of this plan due to the fact that El Dorado has seen little advancements made over the last 10 years.
“We need this input in order to be able to have a road map and a clarity about the plans to be followed in the future expansion of El Dorado,” he added.
Last month it was announced that Bogota was on course to receive a second airport in order to take some of the pressue off El Dorado. At the time of the announcement, the President of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Giovanni Bisignani, highlighted the need for urgent modernization of El Dorado, especially with regards to its radio communication system.
It is expected that the Master Plan will be ready to begin by the end of the second quarter of 2012 and will have 80% participation from U.S. businesses.