Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport (IATA: SCL, ICAO: SCEL), also known as Santiago International Airport and Nuevo Pudahuel Airport, is Chile’s largest and busiest aviation hub, serving as the country’s primary gateway to the world. The airport is located in the Pudahuel district, approximately 15 kilometres (9.3 miles) northwest of downtown Santiago, Chile’s capital and largest city.
The airport was inaugurated on 9 February 1967 under the name Pudahuel Airport, replacing the old Los Cerrillos Airport which could no longer accommodate modern jet-era aircraft. On 19 March 1980, it was renamed Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport in honour of the founder of the Chilean Air Force and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGAC). The airport is a joint civil-military facility and is owned by the Chilean government. Since October 2015, it has been operated by Nuevo Pudahuel, a consortium formed by Aeroports de Paris (France), VINCI Airports (France), and Astaldi (Italy).
SCL serves as the primary hub for LATAM Chile, JetSMART, and Sky Airline, and is categorised as a 4F airport under ICAO standards, capable of handling the largest commercial aircraft. The airport features two parallel runways: 17L/35R (3,750 m × 55 m) and 17R/35L (3,750 m × 45 m). It also serves as the headquarters of the Chilean Air Force 2nd Air Brigade.
In 2025, Santiago Airport set a new all-time record with 26,517,871 passengers, a 1% increase over 2024 and 7.7% growth compared to 2019, the last pre-pandemic reference year. International traffic reached 12,526,908 passengers (47.2% of the total), a 4.5% year-on-year increase, while domestic traffic totalled 13,990,963 passengers (52.7% of the total). The airport was recognised as the world’s most punctual large airport (25–40 million passengers annually) by Cirium Global in 2025, achieving 87% on-time departures and 84% on-time arrivals. A $4 billion expansion plan aims to triple the airport’s capacity by 2050, including a third runway, new terminals, and a light rail connection.