Chaitén Airfield

The airfield was completely destroyed by the eruption of the Chaitén Volcano. The eruption, which began on May 2, 2008, deposited massive amounts of volcanic ash into the watershed of the adjacent Blanco River. Subsequent heavy rains triggered catastrophic lahars (volcanic mudflows) that surged down the river valley. These lahars caused the river to overflow its banks and carve a new, wider channel directly through the southern half of the town of Chaitén and the entire airfield site, burying it under meters of sediment and debris.

The site of the former Chaitén Airfield (CL-0020) is completely gone and unrecognizable. It is now part of the significantly widened, braided floodplain of the Blanco River. The land where the runway and facilities once stood is now an uninhabitable expanse of sand, gravel, and volcanic sediment, crisscrossed by river channels. Satellite imagery clearly shows the river's new course directly over the old airfield's location.

Prior to its destruction, Chaitén Airfield was the vital air transportation hub for the remote town of Chaitén and the surrounding Palena Province. Due to the region's challenging geography of fjords, mountains, and limited road connectivity, the airfield was the primary link for essential services. It handled regular passenger flights, primarily to Puerto Montt, operated by regional air taxi services with small aircraft like the Cessna 208 Caravan and Britten-Norman Islander. Furthermore, it was critical for cargo transport, mail delivery, and, most importantly, medical evacuations (medevac), providing a lifeline for the isolated community.

There are zero prospects for reopening the original airfield. The site is geologically unstable, permanently altered, and lies within a high-risk lahar and flood zone. To restore air service to the region, the Chilean government constructed an entirely new airport, Chaitén Airport (Aeródromo Chaitén), with the ICAO code SCTN. This new airport was built in a safer location at a higher elevation, approximately 10 kilometers (6 miles) southeast of the town, and was officially inaugurated in 2013. All air traffic for Chaitén now uses this new, modern facility.