Pablo L. Sidar National Airport is an airport located in Apatzingán, Michoacán and is operated by Michoacán State Government.
History The first aircraft to land in Apatzingán did so on November 20, 1929, piloted by Pablo L. Sidar. To achieve this, Colonel Arturo Chávez led around fifty farmers from the region to build an improvised landing strip measuring 600 meters long and 40 meters wide. The landing strip was located on the current Bonifacio Moreno neighbourhood.
The region was gaining economic importance due to the high agricultural activity, so agricultural aviation was increasing and with it the need for a new airport arose, so Lázaro Cárdenas, being executive member of the Tepalcatepec Commission, acquired the land for the construction of the Pablo L. Sidar Airport in June 1953, a year later, a dirt landing strip was built. In 1976, 800 meters of runway were paved, later in 1980 the landing strip was extended to 1,500 meters and the taxiways and the aviation apron were added.
In February 1993, Apatzingán Airport was the site of tests for the AAC Angel in order to demonstrate its capabilities on short runways and in severe weather conditions, a test that the AAC Angel successfully passed. Apatzingan Airport only maintained commercial operations until 2002 and in 2024 only 2 fixed-wing aircraft based at this airport were registered.
It has a 4,900-foot-long and 68-foot-wide runway, two taxiways, as well as a 26,900-square-foot general aviation apron, hangars, and a terminal building with administrative offices. In July 2012, an investment of 270 million pesos was announced for airport improvements. This would include expanding the runway and upgrading the administrative facilities.
Statistics During the existence of regional airlines Aero Cuahonte and Aero Sudpacífico, Apatzingán Airport operated regular flights to Morelia, Guadalajara, Lázaro Cárdenas, and Uruapan. The table only shows scheduled commercial and charter flights; military and general aviation flights are not included.
+ Statistical Evolution of Pablo L. Sidar National Airport 1992-2002 Year Flights Passengers Year Flight Passengers 1992 917 1,862 1998 603 5,237 1993 543 2,974 1999 604 4,667 1994 433 2,860 2000 553 3,163 1995 538 3,153 2001 343 1,718 1996 369 1,772 2002 24 113 1997 959 5,069 2003 0 0
Accidents and incidents On December 9, 1992, a Britten-Norman BN-2B-27 Islander aircraft registered XA-RML, operated by Aero Sudpacífico, on a commercial flight between Apatzingán Airport and Zamora Airport, crashed over the Tancítaro municipality a few minutes after takeoff, killing all 8 passengers and the pilot. It is alleged that the aircraft had an engine shutdown due to icing in the carburetors; this aircraft was on a flight between Uruapan Airport and Guadalajara Airport with intermediate stops in Apatzingán and Zamora.
References
External links MMAG in Great Circle Mapper MMAG in PilotNav AZG in PilotNav Finder