History
Don Gonzalo Mejia was a visionary and observer of commercial aviation in the 1920s and 1930s and saw a great opportunity for the development of it in Medellin because of its topography, that transport to and from an odyssey Medellín (who would like to travel by plane had to go to Puerto Berrio) decided to launch a struggle for the city to have its own airport.
Then he began his many efforts to ensure that Medellin had an airport, starting with securing the financial resources to Bountiful businessmen of the time, choose the same land where the airport should be built (roamed the hills surrounding Medellin a horse) and overcome all sorts of obstacles imposed by the local government then. Then managed to form the UMCA (Urabá Central Airways Medellin) and established as a subsidiary of Pan American Airways at the time was the dominant company's outlook for the global aviation and finally succeeded in opening the July 5, 1932 Airport Medellin Enrique Olaya Herrera, named in honor of President of Colombia at the time, who supported Don Gonzalo Mejía and his idea of an airport to Medellin.
In the 1940s the city was growing rapidly and new aircraft of the time required better facilities. Therefore Gonzalo Mejia, despite being very ill, returned to battle and succeeded in 1945 signed a contract for the expansion of the runway and the existing facilities, a work that was opened on May 1, 1947. The Airport continued to serve the city, but in the 1970s was being re-saturated and unable to meet the demand of the city air, so it was announced the construction of the José María Córdova International Airport in Rionegro. This resulted in the closure of the airport and the allocation of land to a park. However users are asked not to close the airport and the April 11, 1986 the airport began operations again. In that same year landed in the Olaya Herrera Pope Juan Pablo II and made some improvements, which also is called Aeroparque Juan Pablo II. In 1992 the Civil Aeronautics ruled that the airport was used in a strictly regional. Outside the arrival of Pope John Paul II Airport also recorded the death of Carlos Gardel in 1935.
It was also one of the mainstays of Carrier Aces from its source to its sad demise in August 2003. Today it is an airport with heavy use and constant growth (second in number of operations in Colombia) and was declared a national monument on October 19, 1995 for its historical value, cultural and architectural for the city of Medellin and Colombia. The airport was handed over by the national government in granting the operating company North Central Airport - Airplan, a company that is conducting a series of renovations and operations at the terminal at the time of this writing they are running.
Read more about this topic: Enrique Olaya Herrera Airport
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