Tragedy in Peñalolén: Government contemplates construction of new landing strip

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SANTIAGO.-  Minister of Public Works Sergio Bitar has announced that officials are currently looking into construction of a new landing strip in the town of El Monte, just south of Santiago.  The objective of this new project would be to reduce air traffic at the Tobalaba Aerodrome and avoid future tragedies such as the one that claimed the lives of eleven people yesterday. 

“There is a possibility that is being studied with the help of the Civil Aeronautics Department, it is an area in El Monte, which is a far more open area (…) that would imply a reasonable initial cost and allow for a landing strip some 1,200 meters long”, said Bitar.

Bitar also pointed out however, that the measure “is a way to relieve air traffic problems at the Tobalaba Aerodrome” rather than a long-term solution.

When asked about how long the project would take, Bitar replied that it could take between “one and two years”, and that it is “a solution which could rapidly begin work on the first phase, with facilities and parking, as well as visual flight” concerning security measures to be taken at the new landing strip.