Seymour Airport

Seymour Galapagos Ecological Airport is an airport serving the island of Baltra, one of the Galápagos Islands in Ecuador.

Name

The airport preserves part of Baltra's other name, South Seymour Island, named in honour of George Francis Seymour, Commander-in-Chief of the Pacific Station.

Facilities

The terminal, which consists of recycled steel tubes taken from oil drilling operations in the Amazon, is spread over 6,000 square meters and required an investment of just over $24 million. The new complex will use clean, renewable technologies such as solar energy, wind farms, and seawater desalination, among other environmental innovations.
According to ECOGAL, the company that operates the terminal, the construction of the new airport took into account the surrounding environment and sought to make a minimal impact on the ecosystem. The project was announced in 2008, with construction commencing in 2012. The purpose of the redevelopment from the outset was to create the world's first ecological airport. ECOGAL was awarded a 15-year concession to administer and operate the airport.

History

During World War II, the airport was used by the United States Army Air Forces Sixth Air Force defending the South American coastline and the Panama Canal against Japanese submarines. The first American personnel arrived on 9 April 1942. Military flying units assigned to the airport were:

52d Fighter Squadron, 5 June-1 December 1942
51st Fighter Squadron 9 December 1942 – 4 March 1944
3d Bombardment Squadron 4 May 1942 – 12 March 1943
29th Bombardment Squadron 13 May 1943 – 10 April 1944; 26 April–October 1945
45th Bombardment Squadron 18 February-22 May 1943
74th Bombardment Squadron 21 August 1944 – 13 February 1945
397th Bombardment Squadron 7 April 1944 – 6 February 1945

By 30 September 1945, most personnel were withdrawn, and only a housekeeping staff remained. The military facility was deactivated on 30 April 1946, leaving a communications unit, which was deactivated on 29 February 1948. Today, many of the former USAAF aircraft parking hardstands still exist, along with an unused NW/SE runway that was abandoned after the war but remains in reasonable condition.