New Carrasco airport opening delayed till Nov. 15

Photo from today's El Pais

For now... further delays are always possible, right? It was supposed to be opened on October 5, but the launch of operation of the new airport has been moved to Nov. 15, with a fake inauguration with the president (before he becomes the lame duck) still on for October 5.


Despite the disappointment in the postponement -- yes, we held the naive hope that the works would be concluded on schedule -- after living our entire lives with an embarrassing airport, a few weeks more or less don't change the fact that Uruguay will have its first dignified international airport in decades.


I'm not counting the Punta del Este airport, which is tiny-but-dignified, because it's not truly international. That's because the Carrasco airport concession terms hold Punta del Este airport hostage, barring it from becoming truly international by limiting the number and types of flights allowed. Some day someone will pay a bribe in the other direction and Punta del Este airport will take off. We pray.


A word of warning for those flying out of Carrasco and coming from points east. Road works on new access to the airport means that Ruta 101 will remain closed for a few days more. If, like we did recently, you take a right after the second toll-booth on your way to the airport, you'll find that when you're almost there, you'll be forced to detour to your left and get lost with no signs whatsoever indicating how to get to the airport.


Our advice is to abstain for the time being from making that turn and just go to Carrasco on Giannatasio Ave., or even better, on the waterfront road that starts at El Pinar, and then turn back on Avenida de las Americas (where that bridge/overpass are at the entrance to Carrasco.)


This is not the shortest possible, but then again, you don't get lost, confused or obfuscated right before a flight, and you may actually save time by avoiding Giannatasio traffic-lights, traffic-jams, suicidal moped drivers, pedestrians, jugglers and other video-game-like perils, especially if traveling around rush hour.


If you've never used the El Pinar waterfront road, it's a good alternative to Giannatasio at all times. The only bad part is accessing it (going through fourth-world roads/commercial center through El Pinar where the gas station is on the Interbalnearia highway, then making a right onto that road that ends on the waterfront, all the time going into video-game mode). But for those 5 minutes, the rest is considerably less scary than Giannatasio all the way to Carrasco, and faster.


Coming back form Montevideo all you do is continue on the Rambla after Carrasco (making a right after the bridge) and go on until the road ends and forces you to turn left. When you reach the main commercial street, you make another left that will leave you by the Ancap gas station.