Enrique Adolfo Jiménez Airport

Enrique Adolfo Jiménez Airport (Spanish: Aeropuerto Enrique Adolfo Jiménez) (IATA: ONX, ICAO: MPEJ) is an international airport located in Colón, Panama, offering scheduled airline flights to Panama City, and to other destinations. The airport is just east of Colon's harbor and cargo handling facilities.

Enrique Adolfo Jiménez Airport

Aeropuerto Enrique Adolfo Jiménez
Summary
Airport typeInternational
LocationColón, Panama
Elevation AMSL28 ft / 9 m
Coordinates09°21′24″N 079°52′03″W
Map
MPEJ
Location in Panama
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
18/36 2,700 8,858 Concrete
Source: WAD[1] SkyVector[2] Google Maps[3]

This airport contains car rentals, a duty-free shop, restaurants, and coffee shops. The airport is located near the Sheraton Hotel and Radisson Hotel and Casino.[4]

The Tocumen VOR-DME (Ident: TUM) is located 33.2 nautical miles (61 km) east-southeast of the airport. The Enrique Jimenez VOR-DME (Ident: FNC) is located on the field.[5][6]

History

Prior to its use as a civil airport, the facility was a United States Army (later USAF) military airfield, established in 1918. It was turned over to the Panama Canal Zone government in 1949, and was converted into a civil airport. American control over the airport ended in 1999 with the turnover of the Panama Canal Zone to the government of Panama.

For over thirty years, the field was operational with the United States Air Force and other entities before it, eventually becoming France Air Force Base. Following its closure the field came under civilian control, becoming Colon Airport.

Post-military use
A Pan Am Boeing 307 Stratoliner, dubbed Clipper Flying Cloud, of the sort that would fly into Colón during the World War II years

France Air Force Base was deactivated on 1 November 1949 by the United States Air Force due to budgetary reductions, turned into a civil airport in the United States Canal Zone, and renamed Colon Airport. The USAF, however, maintained jurisdiction over the airport until 31 December 1973, and it was occasionally used as a satellite field of Albrook AFB.

As Colon Airport, it was served by Boeing 307 Stratoliners and other early airliners flying Pan Am routes from Miami to Buenos Aires, Argentina via Havana, Cuba and Kingston, Jamaica into Cristobal and Colón, then continuing south via Lima, Peru, into Buenos Aires. Being located near the midpoint of this route and at the point where it intersected the Panama Canal made this location a useful one for north-south airline services.

With the return of the Canal Zone to Panama on 31 December 1999, the airport was renamed for Enrique Adolfo Jiménez, who served as Panamanian president from 1945 to 1948.

On August 20, 2013, Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli opened the new Enrique A. Jimenez International Airport. The new terminal can serve up to 1000 passengers at the peak period and the new runway can land aircraft of B757 type.

Airlines and destinations
AirlinesDestinations
Air Panama Charter: Panama City-Albrook

Incidents and accidents

In 1994, this airport was the departure point for Alas Chiricanas Flight 00901, later downed by terrorists.

See also

References
  1. Airport information for MPEJ at World Aero Data. Data current as of October 2006.Source: DAFIF.
  2. "Enrique A Jiminez Airport". SkyVector. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
  3. "Enrique Adolfo Jiménez International Airport". Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
  4. "Enrique Adolfo Jimenez Airport, Colón, Panama". Archived from the original on 2017-10-17. Retrieved 2008-07-05.
  5. "Tocumen VOR". Our Airports. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
  6. "Enrique Jimenez VOR". Our Airports. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
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