Viru Viru International Airport

Viru Viru International Airport
Aeropuerto Internacional Viru Viru
Summary
Airport typePublic
OperatorNAABOL
LocationSanta Cruz de la Sierra
Opened1983 (1983)
Hub for
Boliviana de Aviación
Elevation AMSL1,225 ft (373 m)
Coordinates17°38′41″S 63°08′07″W / 17.64472°S 63.13528°W / -17.64472; -63.13528
WebsiteOfficial website
Map
VVI is located in Bolivia
VVI
VVI
Location of airport in Bolivia
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
16/34 11,483 3,500 Concrete
Statistics (2023)
Passengers4,116,329
Source: SABSA,[1] Airport Statistics[2]

Viru Viru International Airport (IATA: VVI, ICAO: SLVR) is an international airport serving Santa Cruz de la Sierra, located 17 km (11 mi) north of the city. It is Bolivia's primary air terminal, handling much of the international traffic into the country. In 2023, the airport handled 4.12 million passengers, making it the busiest airport in Bolivia.[3] It serves as a major focus city for Boliviana de Aviación and offers routes to destinations across South America, North America, and Europe.

History

Terminal interior

Plans for the airport in 1965 by General René Barrientos,[4][5] former president of Bolivia, with the intention of creating an intercontinental airport. Shortly thereafter, construction of the airport began until it was completed and inaugurated in 1983, to replace the obsolete El Trompillo Airport. Upon its inauguration, Viru Viru became a main gateway for international flights. Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano used Viru Viru as a hub before ceasing operations in 2008.

On 1 March 1997, the government of Bolivia entered into a 25-year contract with Airport Group International to operate the three largest airports in Bolivia — El Alto International Airport in La Paz, Jorge Wilstermann International Airport in Cochabamba and Viru Viru International Airport. Servicios de Aeropuertos Bolivianos Sociedad Anonima (SABSA) was created to operate the concession. In 1999, Airport Group International was purchased by TBI plc.

In 2004, Spain's Abertis/AENA purchased TBI. The airport was nationalized by the Bolivian government in 2013.[6]

SABSA has been substituted in March 2022 by the newly established government agency Navegación Aérea y Aeropuertos Bolivianos (NAABOL). This state-owned agency now manages the airports in Bolivia. [7]

Name

The name "Viru Viru" originates from the indigenous Guarani language spoken in the area. Most likely, "Viru Viru" refers to a toponym or a distinctive geographical feature after which the airport was named. There is some ambiguity about the meaning of it based on sources in the internet. Different meanings have been proposed:

  • Some say it means "round object" or "round place", referring to a nearby hill that has a circular shape, resembling a round object.
  • Others say it refers to a river that has now disappeared and was located 13 kilometres from the city. The tributary was in the same pampa where the airport was built.[8]
  • Lastly, it could mean "pampa, plain", which was the name of the whole geographical area of the place where the airport was built.[9]

Today, some researchers claim the correct spelling of the term would be "Birubiru".[10]

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter flights at Viru Viru International Airport:

AirlinesDestinations
Aerolíneas ArgentinasBuenos Aires–Aeroparque[11]
Air EuropaMadrid[12]
AviancaBogotá[13]
Boliviana de Aviación Asunción,[14] Buenos Aires–Ezeiza,[15] Cochabamba,[15] Iquique,[16] La Paz,[15] Lima,[17] Madrid,[15] Miami,[18] Oruro,[19] Panama City–Tocumen,[20] Rio de Janeiro–Galeão,[21] Santiago de Chile,[22] São Paulo–Guarulhos,[15] Sucre,[23] Tarija,[24] Trinidad[25]
Seasonal: Barcelona,[26] Washington–Dulles[27]
Copa AirlinesPanama City–Tocumen[28]
EcoJetCobija,[29] Guayaramerín,[29] Riberalta,[29] Sucre,[29] Tarija,[29] Trinidad[29]
Gol Linhas AéreasSão Paulo–Guarulhos[30]
LATAM ChileSantiago de Chile[31]
LATAM PerúLima[32]
ParanairAsunción[33]
TAMep Cochabamba,[34] La Paz[34]

References

  1. ↑ "Aeropuerto Intl. El Alto - Bienvenidos a la Paz". Archived from the original on 31 May 2011. Retrieved 17 December 2015.
  2. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 November 2014. Retrieved 25 October 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. ↑ "Santa Cruz Viru Viru International Airport Profile | CAPA". Centre for Aviation. Retrieved 10 September 2025.
  4. ↑ Arce San Martín, Santiago R. (16 April 2008), "Liderazgo en Bolivia", Opinión Bolivia, retrieved 9 December 2022
  5. ↑ "Bolivia sin una verdadera puerta de conexión al mundo". Datos-Bo. 13 June 2018. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  6. ↑ "Bolivia nationalizes Spanish-owned airports operator". Reuters. 18 February 2013. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
  7. ↑ "Gobierno anuncia que SABSA pasará a NAABOL y ofrece a trabajadores formar parte de la institución". 24 February 2022.
  8. ↑ ultracasas.com - 5 datos que NO CONOCÍAS acerca del Aeropuerto de VIRU VIRU
  9. ↑ https://www.flickriver.com/photos/dan59/4540707944/ flickriver.com - Aeropuerto Internacional Viru Viru
  10. ↑ ultracasas.com - 5 datos que NO CONOCÍAS acerca del Aeropuerto de VIRU VIRU
  11. ↑ "Cost of CFK's flights with presidential fleet to El Calafate revealed". Buenos Aires Times. 18 February 2022. Retrieved 9 April 2026.
  12. ↑ Lassetter, Jon (19 August 2024). "Air Europa is Madrid's second-largest airline; faces strong Iberia competition post-merger collapse". Air Service One. Retrieved 9 April 2026.
  13. ↑ "Avianca expands its business class service to more than 80 international routes". 27 June 2025. Retrieved 9 April 2026.
  14. ↑ Sena, Gaston (11 January 2024). "Boliviana de Aviación (BoA) inició la venta de pasajes a Asunción con conexiones a Estados Unidos, Perú y España". Aviacionline (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 April 2026.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 Sena, Gaston (20 May 2023). "Boliviana de Aviación aumenta sus vuelos a Buenos Aires, Madrid y San Pablo". Aviacionline (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 April 2026.
  16. ↑ "BoA inauguró sus vuelos a Santiago de Chile con escala en Iquique". Aviación News (in Spanish). 30 April 2025. Retrieved 9 April 2026.
  17. ↑ Sena, Gaston (13 June 2024). "Boliviana de Aviación tendrá vuelos entre La Paz y Lima a partir de julio". Aviacionline (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 April 2026.
  18. ↑ Esteban Reyes Espinosa, Daniel (26 August 2025). "Falleció en pleno vuelo pasajero que iba para Miami: el avión tuvo que aterrizar de emergencia en Barranquilla". infobae (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 April 2026.
  19. ↑ Gimenez Mazó, Edgardo (26 January 2026). "Con el fin del combustible barato, aumentan un 35 % las tarifas máximas de vuelos en Bolivia". Aviacionline (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 April 2026.
  20. ↑ Pereyra, Omar (20 December 2025). "BoA suma Washington a su red internacional y refuerza la conexión de Bolivia con EEUU". eju.tv (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 April 2026.
  21. ↑ "Confirmado! Voo direto do Rio de Janeiro para a Bolívia estreia no início de dezembro". Melhores Destinos (in Portuguese). 30 October 2025. Retrieved 31 October 2025.
  22. ↑ "Boliviana de Aviación confirmó sus primeros vuelos a Chile". Aviacionline (in Spanish). 18 April 2025. Retrieved 9 April 2026.
  23. ↑ "Nueva aerolínea boliviana última detalles en trámites para volar en el país - ATB Digital" (in Spanish). 28 February 2025. Retrieved 9 April 2026.
  24. ↑ "Tarija entre los vuelos más caros del país tras nuevas tarifas aéreas". Red PAT (in Spanish). 27 January 2026. Retrieved 9 April 2026.
  25. ↑ Sena, Gaston (25 December 2023). "Boliviana de Aviación (BoA) inauguro sus vuelos a Riberalta y Rurrenabaque (Beni)". Aviacionline (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 April 2026.
  26. ↑ "Boliviana de Aviación ya vende sus vuelos a Barcelona".
  27. ↑ "BoA Adds Its Second U.S. Market". AirlineGeeks. Retrieved 26 November 2025.
  28. ↑ Sena, Gaston (15 January 2025). "El aeropuerto de Tocumen cerró 2024 con una cifra récord de pasajeros". Aviacionline (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 April 2026.
  29. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "EcoJet inició sus operaciones con precios promocionales - Agencias de Noticias Fides". Agencia de Noticias Fides - Bolivia (in Spanish). 9 April 2026. Retrieved 9 April 2026.
  30. ↑ "GOL aumentará seus voos entre São Paulo e Santa Cruz de la Sierra". Aeroin (in Portuguese). 29 September 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  31. ↑ Financiero, Diario (4 January 2017). "LATAM Airlines anuncia vuelo directo a Santa Cruz Bolivia desde fines de marzo | Diario Financiero" (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 April 2026.
  32. ↑ Diaz, Pablo (22 September 2023). "LATAM aumentará sus vuelos entre Lima y Santa Cruz de la Sierra". Aviacionline (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 April 2026.
  33. ↑ "Paranair anuncia vuelos diarios a Santa Cruz de la Sierra". Aeronauticapy (in Spanish). 16 April 2023. Retrieved 10 September 2025.
  34. 1 2 Domínguez, Raúl (24 February 2024). "Transporte Aéreo Militar volverá a operar como TAMep con un avión para cuatro destinos". EL DEBER (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 April 2026.

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