Punta Huete Airport

Punta Huete Airport Aeropuerto Punta Huete (Panchito)
IATA: none – ICAO: MNFC
Summary
Airport type	Military
Owner	República de Nicaragua
Operator	República de Nicaragua
Location	Managua
Elevation AMSL	217 ft / 66 m
Coordinates
Map
MNFC Location in Nicaragua
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 09/27 3,006 9,862 Concrete

Punta Huete Airport (ICAO: MNFC) is an airport located in the municipality of San Francisco Libre in Managua, Nicaragua.

History

The Punta Huete Airport was built in the 80's for the landing of MiG 21 airplanes. After Humberto Ortega revealed that Nicaragua had approached France and the Soviet Union for Mirage or MiG fighter planes, the United States warned against introducing modern combat jets to the region. Although Nicaragua began construction of the new airbase with a longer runway and protective revetments, it did not succeed in acquiring new fighter aircraft.

In 2010, the airfield was renovated as an alternative to the Managua Airport for passenger and cargo airplanes. Located at the north shore of Lake Managua, the Punta Huete Airport could become in the near future a major airport in Nicaragua. The 3 km runway allows the landing of all types of aircraft, including large airplanes such as the Boeing 747, the Russian An-124 or the U.S. manufactured C-5 Galaxy, with a capacity of 122 tons.