Earthquake Forces Airport Closures Across Western Colombia

Commercial flights have been affected at several airports across western Colombia as authorities assess infrastructure damage caused by a magnitude 7.4 earthquake.

The Aug. 10 earthquake was centered near San Jose del Palmar in the Choco region and was felt as far away as Bogota, Ecuador and Panama. At least 132 people have been killed and hundreds injured, according to the latest reports.

Aerocivil, Colombia’s civil aviation authority, initially suspended commercial operations at Pereira Matecana International Airport, Manizales La Nubia Airport, Armenia El Eden International Airport, Cartago Santa Ana Airport and Buenaventura Gerardo Tobar Lopez Airport. Only medical and state flights were permitted while infrastructure assessments continued.

Operations at Popayan Guillermo Leon Valencia Airport were also restricted because of emissions from the Purace volcano, an interruption unrelated to the earthquake.

OAG Schedules Analyser data shows that from Aug. 11 to Aug. 16, Pereira, Armenia, Manizales, Buenaventura and Popayan are scheduled to handle 275 departures offering about 38,400 seats. Pereira accounted for 188 flights and approximately 28,800 seats—three-quarters of the total.

Avianca has the largest exposure, with 143 departures and about 21,600 departure seats scheduled from those airports. LATAM Airlines Group accounts for 39 flights and 6,830 seats, followed by JetSmart with 22 flights and approximately 4,100 seats.

LATAM is allowing passengers booked to or from Pereira, Cali or Armenia between Aug. 10 and Aug. 16 to change flights or request refunds without charge, while Avianca has introduced fare caps on routes serving Armenia, Pereira, Quibdo and Cali, alongside rebooking and rerouting options for affected travelers.

Avianca currently accounts for 46.2% of Colombia’s scheduled domestic capacity during the week beginning Aug. 10, OAG data shows. LATAM ranks second with 25.1%, followed by JetSmart at 12.5%.