Carrasco General Cesáreo L. Berisso International Airport
Facts on MVD
Berisso reached several other firsts: in 1916 he became the first Uruguayan to cross the Río de la Plata solo by hot air balloon, and in 1929 he designed and built the first airplane ever constructed in Uruguay, which he named Montevideo.
Source: Wikipedia
The airport is named for Cesáreo L. Berisso (1887–1971), a Uruguayan aviation pioneer who, in 1913, became the first Uruguayan to fly solo — piloting a plane 29 kilometers from Los Cerrillos to Playa Malvín in 1 hour 45 minutes after an act of defiance at his flight school.
Source: Wikipedia
In 1994, Montevideo's Carrasco airport was officially renamed for Berisso in recognition of his civil and military aviation career — he had helped plan the airport and, on 19 September 1944, became the first pilot to land there after it opened.
Source: Wikipedia
Carrasco's original passenger terminal was inaugurated in 1947; in 2003 the Uruguayan government handed its administration, operation and maintenance to the private investment group Puerta del Sur S.A., which has since funded successive rounds of upgrades.
Source: Wikipedia
The current terminal, designed by Uruguayan architect Rafael Viñoly, opened on 5 October 2009 with four jetways and room to expand to two more; it can handle 3 million passengers a year as built, or up to 6 million before needing further enlargement.
Source: Wikipedia
As part of the 2009 terminal project, Runway 01/19 was lengthened to 2,250 meters (7,382 feet), while the old Runway 10/28 was permanently closed because the new terminal building cuts directly across its former path.
Source: Wikipedia
Carrasco shares its runways with the General Cesáreo Berisso Air Force Base, home to Air Brigade I — originally formed in April 1936 as Aeronáutica n.º 1, when it was equipped with eight Potez 25 fighter aircraft.
Source: Wikipedia
Carrasco International Airport has been cited as one of the most efficient and traveler-friendly airports in Latin America, a reputation built after Puerta del Sur's early-2000s investment and the 2009 terminal replacement.
Source: Wikipedia