By Michelle Seaton
03/01/2005
Roughly 2,700 miles long and less than 200 miles wide at any
point, Chile is unlike any other country. Its unusual shape, coupled with its geographically scattered industries and tourist destinations, makes it difficult to access all points of interest via a central international airport. However, travelers flying privately can avail themselves of the many smaller city airports near their ultimate destinations. When planning a flight to Chile, travelers should ensure their pilots see to four essential details. 1. SECURE PRIOR PERMISSIONS
Travelers need to secure permission to fly over countries in Central or South America en route to Chile. This is largely a clerical issue; the countries want paperwork stating the name of the pilot and owner of the plane, the call number and a description of the plane, and a copy of the flight plan 24 to 48 hours in advance of the flight. These permissions take slightly longer to secure near holidays and over weekends. Several international services will handle this for a fee.
2. SELECT A PORT OF ENTRY
Most people fly into Santiago’s Arturo Merino Benítez International airport. The airlines use this airport, and it easily accommodates large business jets. The airport’s services are superb, with many fixed-base operators (FBOs) available to offer fuel, catering and VIP customs services. The two biggest FBOs at the airport are Aeroservicio Ltda. (56.2.273.4427) and Aerocardal (56.2.377.7400). The latter is the most popular among private jet operators. Aerocardal can arrange for travelers to clear customs in the comfort of their own jet, or in the company’s private lounge. It also arranges ground transportation, or can fly clients via helicopter from its private helipad to any number of destinations, including hotels, throughout Santiago.
Several companies provide ground support services for private jets. Menzies Aviation (56.2.601.8899) handles all ground support for the airlines flying into Santiago; the largest private jet owners also prefer it. Other handlers in Santiago include Aerosan Airport Services (56.2.601.9864) and Lan Airport Services (56.2.565.8772), the handlers for LanChile, the national airline of Chile.
Be aware that the high humidity in this region often causes fog late at night and early in the morning. “Anyone who flies regularly into Santiago has been diverted to another airport many times,” says Michael Henriquez Jr., vice president and COO of Prime Jet, a charter company that specializes in flights to Central and South America. Your international flight plan should list an alternate airport for landing. Most people choose to fly over the mountains to the El Plumerillo airport in Mendoza, Argentina, in the heart of the country’s wine region. Its staff is accustomed to handling private jets on short notice.
You stay overnight and hop back in the morning when the fog clears,” Henriquez says. Because there is no visa required for entry for U.S. citizens, landing in a different country is not an issue, as long as the pilot has listed the alternate airport as a possible landing site in the flight log. Without question, the busy Santiago airport has the best amenities for landing and servicing a private jet. Most smaller airports throughout the country see the occasional jet but deal primarily with smaller prop planes. In many of these airports, jet fuel will not be available and even routine maintenance is out of the question. Still, the service you do receive will be cheerful and enthusiastic.
Alternative Ports of Entry
Santiago might not be your ideal port of entry if you are traveling to the extreme northern or southern tips of Chile. Here are several other international ports of entry to consider.
Antofagasta: Cerro Moreno International Airport. This is located in the north, near the Atacama Desert and the copper mines located east of the desert. Although there is customs service, officials are not available 24 hours a day as they are in Santiago. You will need prior permission to land here and must arrange for a customs official to meet you.
Arica: Chacalluta Airport. This city is the northernmost point of entry in Chile, located just 12 miles from the Peruvian border. It is often called the “city of eternal spring” because of its mild climate. It is a favorite destination for cruise ships and private yachts. This airport offers customs service with prior permission. It also sells jet fuel.
Concepcion: Carriel Sur International Airport. Travelers flying to the southern lakes region to enjoy the landscape or adventure travel can land at this airport, at which you can clear customs with prior permission, and purchase fuel.
Punta Arenas: Carlos Ibanez Del Campo International Airport. Travelers headed to one of the ski resorts at the extreme southern tip of Chile can use this airport. Punta Arenas is also a popular place to dock yachts and view the spectacular glaciers. This airport has an instrument approach and three runways.
3. PAY YOUR FEES
Clearing customs in Chile is very easy for U.S. citizens. When securing your permissions to fly over and filing a flight plan to request permission to enter Chilean airspace, you will provide the government with most of the information it needs to clear you. In the end, you will probably have to sign a form filled out for you by the customs agent and pay a fee of $100. This fee is good until you get your passport renewed. Upon leaving Chile, you will have to pay an additional fee of $26.
Secondary Airports
Once you have cleared customs inside Chile, you can fly to any of several secondary airports within the country. The two most popular are:
El Loa Airport in Calama. This airport is only 50 kilometers from the Atacama desert and just a short hop from Antofagasta. The handlers here have experience with private jets and can provide transportation to nearby hotels.
Viña del Mar Airport near Valparaiso. This resort area is considered the Nice of Chile. Many Chileans and other travelers have vacation homes here.
4. HIRE A CONCIERGE
Those new to Chile may find that the best way to create a seamless experience is to hire a service to make VIP arrangements. Several contract agencies operate as a form of concierge service, providing everything from weather updates and permissions en route to entry visas, VIP customs, ground transportation, helicopter service and personal security. They include (next page):
Baseops International
333 Cypress Run, Suite 200
Houston, TX 77094
800.333.3563
www.baseops.com
Baseops has a specialist in Chile to handle trips and can arrange overfly permissions within 48 hours from almost anywhere in the US.
Universal Airways
Universal Weather and Aviation
8787 Tallyho Road
Houston, TX 77061
800.231.5600
www.univ-wea.com
This company has teams of people who can help coordinate services in various countries, and can put you in touch with specialists at the Santiago airport.
Air Routing International
2925 Briarpark Drive, 7th floor
Houston, TX 77042
713.430.7200
www.airrouting.com
For passenger safety, security analysts monitor world affairs to ensure safety in the air and on the ground.
Michelle Seaton’s