El Dorado International Airport (Luis Carlos Galán Sarmiento El Dorado International Airport)

El Dorado International Airport is located primarily in the Fontibón district of Bogotá, with portions extending into the Engativá district and the municipality of Funza. The facility was established between 1955 and 1959 during the administration of General Gustavo Rojas Pinilla to replace the aging Techo International Airport. It is owned by the Government of Colombia, with civil operations managed by the Operadora Aeroportuaria Internacional (OPAIN) consortium.

The military component of the airport, the Comando Aéreo de Transporte Militar (CATAM), originated as a Liaison Squadron in 1954 at Techo Airport. Following the completion of El Dorado, the unit relocated to an adjacent area and was formally inaugurated as a military transportation base on May 28, 1963. In 1977, the command was named in honor of Colombian aviation pioneer Brigadier General Camilo Daza Alvarez.

CATAM serves as the primary operations and logistics support center for the Colombian Air Force’s transport requirements. The base operates 24 hours a day, providing troop and cargo movement, paratrooping capabilities, and aeromedical evacuation. Its mission includes support for surface forces in internal security operations and humanitarian assistance.

Infrastructure at the site includes Terminal 1, Terminal 2 (formerly the Puente Aéreo), and the dedicated CATAM military facilities. The military sector features independent ground access through a dual carriageway and a tunnel passing beneath the aircraft taxiway. The base also houses the Colombian Air Force Museum, which preserves a collection of historical aircraft types used by the service.

The base operates squadrons of C-130 Hercules and CN-235 Nurtanio transport aircraft. These platforms are configured for various mission profiles, including operations on unpaved runways. Aircraft assigned to CATAM utilize night vision imaging systems to maintain operational capacity in combat zones or environments lacking ground illumination. The airport also serves as the headquarters for the Special Administrative Unit of Civil Aeronautics (Aerocivil).