Governor Francisco Gabrielli International Airport (IATA: MDZ, ICAO: SAME), better known as El Plumerillo International Airport, is located 11 kilometers northeast of the center of Mendoza, capital of the Mendoza Province of Argentina. The airport is Argentina's 4th busiest airport by passenger numbers and is also home to the 8th Mountain Infantry Brigade of the Argentine Army and the 4th Air Brigade of the Argentine Air Force. Both are located on the south side of the field, known as El Plumerillo Military Air Base. The airport serves the Mendoza Province with 12 domestic routes within Argentina and 4 international routes to Chile, Brazil, Peru and Panama.
The Mendoza Terminal Maneuvering Area controls a very large area surrounding the city of Mendoza from the surface up to FL245. It borders the San Rafael TMA to the South, the San Juan TMA to the North and the Santiago TMA to the West. The Western half of the airspace is home to some extreme terrain, almost as high as the airspace itself, providing an extra challenge to aircraft and air traffic control. The Aconcagua, the world's second most prominent mountain and the highest mountain in the Western and Southern hemispheres is located just 60nm West of El Plumerillo.
Like most airports in Argentina, departure procedures take aircraft around an arc around the Mendoza VOR (DOZ) to the outbound radials to their departure waypoints. In recent years however, RNAV procedures have been introduced which omit the arc as it is not necessary for most departures. Due to the extremely challenging terrain West of Mendoza, all departures to the West first fly East to gain some altitude before turning back around, flying over the airport and onwards over the Andes. All STARs are RNAV and guide aircraft around restricted airspace and terrain to the initial approach fixes. Aircraft are then usually cleared to the RNAV approach for the appropriate runway.
Mendoza TMA from the surface up to FL245
Due to high terrain and military presence in the area, there are several restricted and prohibited areas in the vicinity of El Plumerillo. These include:
| Name | Height |
|---|---|
| SAP116 | 3,000ft |
| SAR101 | FL285 |
| SAR103 | Infinity |
| SAR104 | FL245 |
| SAR106 | FL195 |
| SAR109 | FL245 |
| SAR110 | FL245 |
| SAR111 | Infinity |
Despite the large area covered by the Mendoza TMA, there are no other aerodromes within the Mendoza TMA. The only notable airports are located outside of the Mendoza TMA and are shown on the video map.
Domingo Faustino Sarmiento Airport
78nm Northeast of SAME
Domingo Faustino Sarmiento Airport (IATA: UAQ, ICAO: SANU) is a regional airport in San Juan Province, Argentina, serving the city of San Juan. It is named in honor of Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, the seventh President of Argentina. The airport has 19 weekly flights to Buenos Aires, all operated by Aerolíneas Argentinas.
Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport
107nm Southeast of SAME
San Rafael Airport (IATA: AFA, ICAO: SAMR) is a public airport located 6 kilometers west of San Rafael, a city in the Mendoza Province of Argentina. It is also known as Suboficial Ayudante Santiago Germano Airport. The airport has just 9 weekly flights to Buenos Aires, all operated by Austral Líneas Aéreas.
Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport
106nm Southwest of SAME
Located West of the Andes in Santiago, Chile's capital, Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport (IATA: UAQ, ICAO: SCEL) is Chile's largest aviation facility and the busiest international airport in the country. There are 19 weekly flights between Mendoza and Santiago operated by JetSmart Chile, LATAM Brasil, LATAM Chile and Sky Airline. Aircraft flying this route must perform a steep climb to fly over the Andes and descend rapidly to land at the airport.