Jose Marti International Airport (Cuba, Havana): history, description, reviews

2024 Author: Harold Hamphrey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:06

Jose Marti Airport is the largest flying harbor in the country, which is located just 15 kilometers from the capital of Cuba. This place is quite popular among many carriers, because it is here that most of the transit transfers are made. From this airport planes are sent to almost all major cities in North, Central and South America, as well as Europe. This flying harbor was named after a famous Cuban public figure and poet.

History

The airport was built back in 1930 in a southwest direction from the capital of Havana. At that time, it was called differently - Havana Columbia Airport. The first flight was made in the same year, it was postal to Santiago de Cuba.

In subsequent years, various flights of national importance were made, and only 13 years after the opening, the first commercial flight was made. Then the plane was heading to Miami.

Due to the political situation in 1961, all air travel between Cuba and the United States of America ceased. Only at the end of the 80s was the second terminal reopened and flights between the two countries resumed.

Another 10 years passed, and a third terminal was opened at the Havana José Marti Airport, its main purpose is to serve international flights. Since there was a need for cargo air traffic, a fourth terminal was built here, designed specifically for this purpose. Two years later, the fifth terminal opened, which was designed to unload the remaining terminals, and it serves only domestic charter flights.

Description

Today, 4 passenger terminals operate here, which serve more than 4 million people a year, which is a very solid indicator for an airport in this area. The cargo terminal is also very large and is designed for 600 tons of various cargoes.

The first terminal takes the bulk of domestic flights. The second terminal is auxiliary and, basically, only planes from the USA are served here. The third terminal is the main one at Jose Marti Airport, it is here that the bulk of passengers who make international flights are located. Terminal 5 is for Aero Caribbean only.

Since the distance between the terminals is very significant, special buses run constantly between them.

How to get to Havana from the airport?

From the airport to the capital of Cuba you can get on various modes of transport: taxis, buses, rented car.

Taxi. Cars are located near the exits of each of the terminals. Fare todowntown is 20-25 US dollars. At the same time, if a person has good communication skills, then he can bargain, significantly reducing the fare.

Buses. This method is the most popular for the budget tourist. There are regular city buses, as well as special vehicles from hotels that provide transfers to the place of residence of tourists.

However, one should take into account the fact that not all hotel buses deliver their guests to their destination for free, sometimes they charge a fare. Therefore, it is best to find out this information directly when booking a hotel room.

Please note that in hotel buses you can pay in US currency, but in ordinary city buses you will have to pay with local pesos, which are quite difficult to get, because there are very few exchange offices and all tourists mainly use US currency.

Specifications

Jose Marti Airport is the main flying harbor in Cuba, so it is the most high-tech and most convenient for passengers. More than 20 airlines from almost all over the world land and take off here. The runway is 4 kilometers long and can handle most passenger vehicles.

For the convenience of visitors, large parking lots are located near each terminal, so a person does not need to leave his car near the first terminal and get to the third by bus.

Registrationfor domestic flights here starts 2 hours before the scheduled departure time of the aircraft. If a person boards an international flight, then check-in begins 2.5 hours before the estimated departure time. The check-in closes 40 minutes before the departure of the vehicle, so it is essential to arrive at Jose Marti Airport (Cuba) well in advance to avoid force majeure.

Services

Everyone who is in the Jose Marti airfield and waiting for their flight can use the following services:

• have a bite to eat at a restaurant, cafe or fast food;
• use postal services;
• purchase the necessary goods in stores;
• buy medicines;
• take advantage of free wireless internet.

All of the above services are available to all tourists 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. There is also an exchange office, but the exchange rate is very unfavorable for a tourist, so you can exchange only a small part of the money, but mostly try to pay in US dollars.

For VIP clients there is a special area, which is located on the third terminal. We althy people can take advantage of comfortable recreation areas, telephone and fax.

For people with disabilities, there are special elevators that will lift them to the desired level of the terminal. It should be noted separately that there are no hotels on the territory of Jose Marti Airport, so touristsyou will have to go directly to Havana or look for the nearest hotels. The nearest hotel is the Santa Clara Hotel, located nine kilometers from the airport.

Reviews

In general, reviews of the airport are positive, everything is quite clean, and there is everything you need for an ordinary tourist. However, there have been cases of theft directly from suitcases, so it is highly recommended to pack your luggage in a special film. All services are at a very good level and people who have been here were satisfied.