Uruguay Airport Infrastructure

Pre-pandemic, the Carrasco airport in Montevideo handled nearly two million passengers annually in addition to international cargo shipments. The Laguna del Sauce airport in Punta del Este handled nearly 160,000 passengers per year pre-pandemic and mainly serves the resort area of Punta del Este.  The Laguna del Sauce airport handles both commercial flights and private jets.

In mid-2021 the Uruguayan government extended the Montevideo and Punta del Este airport concessions to 2053 to the current operator. With the extension of the concession the Uruguayan government requested the concessionaire commit to a $67 million USD investment for airport infrastructure. This investment would include the construction or modernization of six small international airports in the interior of the country by December 2023. These airports are located in the departments of Rivera, Salto, Carmelo, Durazno, Melo and Paysandú. The Rivera and Salto airports are considered to have the largest potential in terms of traffic growth. The investment will include airports infrastructure, lighting systems, air surveillance radars and IT and communications systems.

The concessionaire announced an additional $250 million USD to modernize or build these airports, some of which are currently in poor condition.  As these airports are distributed around the country, and away from the capital, it will help achieve the government’s goal of decentralizing air transport.  Additionally, the airports are expected to increase regional economic activity including the tourism, agricultural and wood pulp sectors. 

If your company is interested commercial opportunities related to this project, please contact the U.S. Commercial Service in Uruguay: Office.Montevideo@trade.gov.