Los Cerrillos Airport

The primary reason for the closure of Los Cerrillos Airport was the urban expansion of Santiago. The city had grown to completely surround the airport, making its operations increasingly incompatible with the dense residential and commercial surroundings due to noise pollution and safety concerns. The land became extremely valuable for urban redevelopment. Furthermore, all commercial passenger and cargo operations had long been consolidated at Santiago's main international gateway, Arturo Merino Benítez Airport (SCEL), rendering a second major airport within the city limits redundant for commercial traffic. The final decision was to decommission the airport to make way for a major urban renewal project.

The former airport site has been completely transformed into a massive urban development project known as 'Ciudad Parque Bicentenario' (Bicentennial Park City). The most prominent feature is the Parque Bicentenario de Cerrillos, a 50-hectare public park that opened in 2011, occupying a large portion of the former runways and taxiways. The rest of the land is being developed with thousands of residential apartments, commercial areas, schools, and public services. While most aviation infrastructure was demolished, one crucial piece of its heritage remains: the Chilean National Air and Space Museum (Museo Nacional Aeronáutico y del Espacio) is still located on the northeastern edge of the former airport grounds, preserving the site's historical connection to aviation. The park has also become a major venue for mass events, including music festivals like Lollapalooza Chile.

Los Cerrillos Airport was a cornerstone of Chilean aviation history for over 75 years. Opened in 1929, it served as Santiago's principal domestic and international airport until the inauguration of Pudahuel Airport (now Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport) in 1967. During its heyday, it was the main hub for LAN Chile (now LATAM Airlines) and handled flights from major international carriers. After 1967, it continued to be a vital center for domestic flights, general aviation, air taxi services, and military operations. It was the home of the Chilean Air Force (Fuerza Aérea de Chile - FACh) Officer's School and other military units. The airport was also famous for being the original host of the prestigious International Air and Space Fair (Feria Internacional del Aire y del Espacio, FIDAE), one of the most important aerospace and defense exhibitions in the Americas, from its inception in 1980 until the 2006 edition was moved. The Santiago Flying Club (Club Aéreo de Santiago) was also based there for decades. Its operational ICAO code was SCTI and its IATA code was ULC. The code CL-0021 is a post-closure identifier.

There are zero plans or prospects for reopening Los Cerrillos Airport. The site has been irreversibly redeveloped. The runways, taxiways, and most of the original airport infrastructure have been completely demolished and replaced by a large urban park, extensive housing developments, and new road networks. The transformation of the land into a new city district is permanent, making any future aviation use physically and economically impossible.