Francisco de Orellana airport in El Coca

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Today I present to you what the Francisco de Orellana Airport is like, located in the city of The Coca, important gateway to the Amazon.

Following the route through the different airports of the Ecuador, we have reached the amazon, specifically to the quiet city of El Coca, which has one of the most important air terminals in the country due to its strategic position of access to a key part of the local economy: Petroleum.

Thanks to this location and proximity to oil wells (a few hours inside) the Francisco de Orellana Airport is key for air connectivity in this strategic sector of the country, but also, is essential for national tourism, since many trips to the different hotels and lodges in the area start from there.

Francisco de Orellana Airport in El Coca

In honor of the Spanish conqueror and explorer who together with Pizzaro would discover the Amazon River on 12 February 1542, Francisco de Orellana Airport (THERE IT IS: OCC, ICAO: SECO) It is the main air terminal in the Province of Orellana with a population of over 40 thousand inhabitants.

To know even more details of this airport and that they can know it in depth, I share this AeroReportaje on YouTube where I tour this terminal exclusively from the inside out:

 

The 16 November 2018 The works of improvements and construction of a new passenger terminal were officially inaugurated, which had an investment of $16.7 millions, where it is expected that at its peak it can receive more than 200 thousand passengers per year.

The new terminal has 4.780 square meters of spaces and the platform with a capacity of up to 7 aircraft. further, The airport has a runway 2.300 meters in length by 30 meters wide, a departure lounge for more than 400 passengers, a new control tower 19.7 meters high, counter rooms and service hangars.

Equally, the terminal in its boarding area has a VIP room called Ayahuasca VIP Cafe Lounge, that allows entry with Priority Pass.

 

The change is notorious from the previous terminal to the new one, there is a great leap in infrastructure and improvement of the service for both passengers and domestic airlines, air taxi and other operators that fly here.

Actual state

Despite having only a few years since its inauguration, I could notice some problems in the care and maintenance of the terminal, how are bathrooms disabled, screens not working, announcements made with mobile speakers, inoperative power plant or even part of the roof on the exterior facade in poor condition.

I hope that this publication also allows these corrections to be made and that the airport has the maintenance that an infrastructure of this quality requires..

Airlines, flights and itineraries

Previously, Tame EP was the main operator at this airport, even operating up to 5 daily flights thanks to the oil boost at the time. Today, this airport is operated by two regular domestic airlines, one non-scheduled and multiple service flights air taxi.

Aeroregional

The airline operates a daily flight from Monday to Sunday at the following times:

• Flight 7A-841 QUITO – COCA takes off at 09H:30
• Flight 7A-840 COCA – QUITO takes off at 10 a.m.:30

LATAM Ecuador

Regarding the Ecuadorian subsidiary of LATAM Airlines, It operates with a daily flight from Monday to Sunday at the following times:

• Flight XL-1397 QUITO – COCA takes off at 09H:13 on mondays
• Flight XL-1505 QUITO – COCA takes off at 09H:18 Tuesdays
• Flight XL-1397 QUITO – COCA takes off at 09H:09 Wednesdays
• Flight XL-1397 QUITO – COCA takes off at 09H:16 on thursdays
• Flight XL-1505 QUITO – COCA takes off at 09H:06 Fridays
• Flight XL-1397 QUITO – COCA takes off at 09H:17 on saturdays
• Flight XL-1397 QUITO – COCA takes off at 09H:25 On Sundays

Back:

• Flight XL-1396 COCA – QUITO takes off at 10 a.m.:50 on mondays
• Flight XL-1504 COCA – QUITO takes off at 10 a.m.:43 Tuesdays
• Flight XL-1396 COCA – QUITO takes off at 10 a.m.:31 Wednesdays
• Flight XL-1396 COCA – QUITO takes off at 10 a.m.:50 on thursdays
• Flight XL-1504 COCA – QUITO takes off at 10 a.m.:30 Fridays
• Flight XL-1396 COCA – QUITO takes off at 10 a.m.:43 on saturdays
• Flight XL-1396 COCA – QUITO takes off at 11H:05 On Sundays

Statistics of El Coca Airport

The reactivation of air transport is advancing in this terminal as well, despite the fact that it is still far from the number of the 2019 where they even operated 4 airlines at the same time, at the “Francisco de Orellana” airport they mobilized 44.672 passengers during the 2021 experiencing growth of 17,22% compared to the previous year that were recorded 38.110 passengers; in terms of cargo were transported 1,48 TM, with regard to flights through this airport, 770 movements.

Tourist information of El Coca

as we review, Coca is a great gateway to the deepest corners of the Ecuadorian Amazon, so this area and its surroundings you can find a wide range of hotel options, lodge and tours for all tastes, adventure jacket, walks, bird watching, visits to communities and much more.

If you plan to visit El Coca, I recommend hiring a tour in advance to obtain the best assistance for your trip, since moving within the Amazon is a complex task that may involve buses., walks and boat transfers.

From El Coca Airport, you can take taxis or buses to different areas of the city according to the needs of each traveler.

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