Simón Bolívar International Airport (IATA: CCS, ICAO: SVMI), commonly known as Maiquetía International Airport, is the primary international gateway serving Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, and the busiest airport in the country. The airport is located in Maiquetía, La Guaira state, approximately 21 to 25 kilometres west of downtown Caracas, on the Caribbean coast.
The airport was inaugurated on 1 January 1945 by Venezuelan President Isaías Medina Angarita. It is named after Simón Bolívar, the liberator of South America. The airport is operated by the Instituto Aeropuerto Internacional de Maiquetía (IAIM) since its creation in 1971, alongside the Instituto Nacional de Aeronáutica Civil (INAC). The airport covers 882 hectares and sits at an elevation of 72 metres above sea level.
Maiquetía serves as a hub for several Venezuelan carriers including Aerolíneas Estelar, Aeropostal, Avior Airlines, Conviasa, LASER Airlines, and Rutaca Airlines. The airport features three runways: 10L/28R (3,610 m), 10R/28L (2,700 m), and 09/27 (3,270 m).
During the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, the airport was South America’s main entry point and an important connection hub between Europe and the rest of Latin America. It was one of the few airports in the world to receive the supersonic Concorde aircraft until the mid-1990s, operated by Air France and British Airways on regular scheduled flights.
On 24 June 2026, twin earthquakes of magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5 severely damaged the airport’s original infrastructure and runway, leaving the terminal inoperative. Commercial operations formally resumed on 1 September 2026 at temporary terminals built in the airport’s parking area. The temporary international departures terminal covers 4,300 square metres with four boarding gates and a capacity of 780 passengers, while the domestic departures terminal covers 3,335 square metres with three gates and a capacity of 480 passengers. Authorities expect the airport to operate normally by 2027. In its first month, the temporary terminals handled over 200,000 passengers in nearly 2,500 operations.