Airport guide
Esmeraldas AirportIATA code ESM
Esmeraldas Airport (ESM/SETN) is the primary air passenger gateway serving Esmeraldas, Ecuador in South America. The airfield connects travelers with essential regional transit routes and operating carrier options.
- Serves
- Esmeraldas, Ecuador
- Codes
- ESM · SETN
- IATA · ICAO
- Time zone
- America/Guayaquil
- Region
- South America
Esmeraldas Airport (ESM/SETN) is the primary air passenger gateway serving Esmeraldas, Ecuador in South America. Operating on America/Guayaquil local time at coordinates 0.970°, -79.630°, the airfield functions as an active commercial transit hub for scheduled regional and international flights. Travelers navigating Esmeraldas Airport (ESM) are encouraged to confirm terminal layouts, ground transport connections into Esmeraldas, and flight schedules with their operating carrier prior to travel.
Esmeraldas Airport details
- IATA code
- ESM
- ICAO code
- SETN
- City
- Esmeraldas
- Country
- Ecuador
- Region
- South America
- Time zone
- America/Guayaquil
- Coordinates
- 0.979°, -79.627°
- From OurAirports
Codes, region and time zone come from the Originfacts airport record (last updated 12 Jun 2026). Fields marked otherwise come from the dataset named on them. None are verified by hand against Esmeraldas Airport’s own pages.
ESM airport facts
- Size class
- Large airport
- From OurAirports (5 Oct 2026); OurAirports’ own classification
- Elevation
- 10 m (32 ft)
- From OurAirports (5 Oct 2026)
- Passengers, 2018
- 47,876
- Per Wikidata (opens in a new tab) (retrieved 5 Oct 2026), citing ecuadorencifras.gob.ec (opens in a new tab)
- Nearest airport with scheduled flights
- La Florida Airport TCO · 135 km
- OurAirports scheduled-service flag; straight-line distance calculated
Runways at ESM
Source: OurAirports (opens in a new tab) runways data (public domain), retrieved 5 Oct 2026. Not an aeronautical source — not for navigation.
One open runway, lit. The runway 18/36: 2,400 m, asphalt.
| Runway | Length | Width | Surface | Lighting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18/36 | 2,400 m7,874 ft | 45 m | asphalt | Lit |
Routes from ESM
Originfacts does not track any routes from ESM yet, so no route records are listed here. Check current schedules with the airlines or the airport.
Where ESM is
5.5 km northeast
Esmeraldas Airport lies 5.5 km northeast of Esmeraldas city centre in a straight line. Road distance is longer; transport options are not yet verified (see terminals and transport below).
Calculated from the airport coordinates (OurAirports) and the Wikidata (opens in a new tab) city-centre point.
Terminals, transport and parking at ESM
Terminal assignments, ground transport into Esmeraldas, parking, lounges and accessibility services have not been verified against Esmeraldas Airport’s own pages yet, so none are listed here.
Check directly:Map of the airport location (opens in a new tab)
Before you travel
- Confirm your terminal with the operating airline.
- Check the check-in and bag-drop cut-off times on your booking.
- Allow extra time if you need to change terminals or check bags in again.
- Check your flight status before you leave for the airport.
Airports near Esmeraldas
Straight-line distances calculated from each airport’s coordinates in the Originfacts airport records. Road distances are longer.
- TumacoLa Florida AirportTCO134 km
- QuitoMariscal Sucre International AirportUIO178 km
- IpialesSan Luis AirportIPI214 km
- GuapiGuapi AirportGPI222 km
- LatacungaCotapaxi International AirportLTX237 km
- MantaManta AirportMEC243 km
- PastoCano AirportPSO270 km
- Lago AgrioLago Agrio AirportLGQ321 km
- VillagarzonVillagarzonVGZ324 km
Esmeraldas Airport: common questions
Where is Esmeraldas Airport?
Esmeraldas Airport serves Esmeraldas, Ecuador. Its coordinates in OurAirports are 0.979°, -79.627°.
What are the airport codes for Esmeraldas Airport?
The IATA code is ESM and the ICAO code is SETN.
What time zone is ESM in?
Esmeraldas Airport is in the America/Guayaquil time zone.
How many runways does Esmeraldas Airport have?
OurAirports lists one open runway at ESM: 18/36 (2,400 m (7,874 ft), asphalt).
How many passengers use Esmeraldas Airport?
Wikidata records 47,876 passengers for 2018, the latest year it holds.
How far is ESM from Esmeraldas city centre?
Esmeraldas Airport is about 5.5 km northeast of Esmeraldas city centre in a straight line, calculated from coordinates. The distance by road is longer.
What is the elevation of Esmeraldas Airport?
OurAirports gives ESM’s elevation as 10 m (32 ft) above sea level.
Sources
Nothing on this page is verified by hand yet. Each section comes from the dataset below, with its date where the dataset has one. Terminal, transport and parking details are left out until they can be read from Esmeraldas Airport’s own pages.
- Codes, location, time zoneOriginfacts airport record12 Jun 2026
- Coordinates, runways, type, elevationOurAirports (opens in a new tab) — public domain5 Oct 2026
- Opening, operator, passengers, hubsWikidata item Q2374108 (opens in a new tab) — CC05 Oct 2026
- Distance to city centreCalculated from airport coordinates and the Wikidata (opens in a new tab) city-centre point—
- Nearby airportsCalculated from airport coordinates—
- Terminals and transportNot yet verified—
Background reading:Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)