Global Courant
After more than a decade of being considered a promising project for the development of the western region of Honduras and finally not materializing, the idea of building an airfield in the municipality of Concepción, located 20 kilometers from the city, resurfaced. head of the department, Santa Rosa de Copán.
The reactivation of this initiative took place during a meeting between the mayors of four municipalities in the center of Copán and the departmental governor, Rosibel Mejía, together with members of a non-profit Christian organization of American origin, Mission Wings, which since 2019 works on the idea of preparing land in Concepción to turn it into an airfield for medical emergencies and humanitarian assistance.
Shaine Cooper, director of Mission Wings and pilot, explained that since 2019 they have been working on preparing land provided by the municipality of Concepción, with the intention of building the airfield that had been planned since 2008.
The organization’s main objective is to help people in need and to transport people in critical health to other cities in Honduras.
Cooper also revealed that a plane that will function as an air ambulance is being prepared in the United States and could be ready for its purpose in May.
However, he noted that permits, licenses and other legal requirements are still required, so he requested assistance from government authorities.
In that sense, the mayors of Santa Rosa de Copán, Aníbal Erazo; from San Agustín, Kelvin Aguilar; from Dulce Nombre, Misael Ardón and from Concepción Mario Aguilar, committed to joining forces to materialize the construction and operation of this aerodrome, which would benefit not only the health of the region but also commerce and tourism.
Misael Ardón, mayor of Dulce Nombre, recalled that in the 1940s and 1950s, the area’s airfield operated successfully and was an important trade route between El Salvador and Honduras.
Governor Rosibel Mejía announced a series of next steps, including visiting the site, collecting information related to the project previously approved in 2008, and organizing a support committee for the mission and the mayor of Concepción.
In 2015, the previous government inaugurated the airfield in Río Amarillo, Santa Rita, Copán, which is currently abandoned and involved an investment of more than 335 million lempiras, with only 27 officially registered flights.
