Airport guide
Arturo Merino Benitez AirportIATA code SCL
Arturo Merino Benitez Airport (SCL/SCEL) is the primary air passenger gateway serving Santiago, Chile in South America. Originfacts tracks 1 direct destination departing from SCL.
- Serves
- Santiago, Chile
- Codes
- SCL · SCEL
- IATA · ICAO
- Time zone
- America/Santiago
- Region
- South America
Arturo Merino Benitez Airport (SCL/SCEL) is the primary air passenger gateway serving Santiago, Chile in South America. Operating on America/Santiago local time at coordinates -33.400°, -70.790°, the airfield functions as an active commercial transit hub for scheduled regional and international flights. Originfacts tracks 1 destination departing from SCL, with primary carrier operations including Sky Airline and LATAM Airlines, connecting key routes to Lima. Passengers traveling through Arturo Merino Benitez Airport are advised to verify terminal assignments, compare ground transport links into Santiago, and plan check-in times with their operating airline before departure.
Arturo Merino Benitez Airport details
- IATA code
- SCL
- ICAO code
- SCEL
- City
- Santiago
- Country
- Chile
- Region
- South America
- Time zone
- America/Santiago
- Coordinates
- -33.393°, -70.786°
- From OurAirports
Codes, region and time zone come from the Originfacts airport record (last updated 2 May 2026). Fields marked otherwise come from the dataset named on them. None are verified by hand against Arturo Merino Benitez Airport’s own pages.
SCL airport facts
- Size class
- Large airport
- From OurAirports (5 Oct 2026); OurAirports’ own classification
- Elevation
- 474 m (1,555 ft)
- From OurAirports (5 Oct 2026)
- Opened
- 9 February 1967
- Per Wikidata (opens in a new tab) (retrieved 5 Oct 2026) — date of official opening
- Passengers, 2023
- 24.9 million
- Per Wikidata (opens in a new tab) (retrieved 5 Oct 2026), citing jac.gob.cl (opens in a new tab)
- Nearest airport with scheduled flights
- Governor Francisco Gabrielli International Airport MDZ · 196 km
- OurAirports scheduled-service flag; straight-line distance calculated
Runways at SCL
Source: OurAirports (opens in a new tab) runways data (public domain), retrieved 5 Oct 2026. Not an aeronautical source — not for navigation.
2 open runways, all lit. Longest 17L/35R: 3,750 m, asphalt.
| Runway | Length | Width | Surface | Lighting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17L/35R | 3,750 m12,303 ft | 55 m | asphalt | Lit |
| 17R/35L | 3,750 m12,303 ft | 45 m | asphalt | Lit |
Airlines and destinations from SCL
Source: Travelpayouts fare data, 5 Oct 2026 — destinations where travellers found a nonstop fare from SCL in the days before that date. Not a complete or live schedule.
Nonstop fares from SCL to 47 destinations in 21 countries, on 12 airlines. Originfacts’ own route records for SCL are listed separately below.
Airlines named on the fares
- H2Sky Airline17 destinations
- LALATAM Airlines16 destinations
- JAJetSmart5 destinations
- AMAeroméxico1 destination
- ACAir Canada1 destination
- AFAir France1 destination
- AAAmerican Airlines1 destination
- DMArajet1 destination
- BABritish Airways1 destination
- CMCopa Airlines1 destination
- KLKLM Royal Dutch Airlines1 destination
- TKTurkish Airlines1 destination
The airline on a fare can be the seller of a codeshare flown by a partner. Linked names are matched to Originfacts airline pages by code and name; others are shown as the fare data names them.
Destinations by country
- Chile (14)
- Arica, Balmaceda, Calama, Castro, Concepcion, Copiapo, Easter Island, Iquique, La Serena, Puerto Montt, Puerto Natales, Punta Arenas, Temuco, Valdivia
- Brazil (6)
- Curitiba, Florianopolis, Foz do Iguaçu, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, Sao Paulo
- Argentina (3)
- Buenos Aires, Cordoba, Mendoza
- United States (3)
- Los Angeles, Miami, New York
- Australia (2)
- Melbourne, Sydney
- Colombia (2)
- Bogota, Cali
- Mexico (2)
- Cancun, Mexico City
- Peru (2)
- Cusco, Lima
- Bolivia (1)
- Santa Cruz
- Canada (1)
- Montreal
- Dominican Republic (1)
- Punta Cana
- Ecuador (1)
- Quito
- France (1)
- Paris
- Netherlands (1)
- Amsterdam
- New Zealand (1)
- Auckland
- Panama (1)
- Panama City
- Paraguay (1)
- Asuncion
- Spain (1)
- Madrid
- Turkiye (1)
- Istanbul
- United Kingdom (1)
- London
- Uruguay (1)
- Montevideo
Linked destinations also have an Originfacts route record from SCL.
Check schedules with the airline or Arturo Merino Benitez Airport before you book.
Airlines on routes from SCL
Source: Originfacts route records, last updated 21 May 2026. Not verified by hand.
The airlines listed on the route Originfacts tracks from SCL. Only 1 route from SCL is in Originfacts’ route records so far — a small sample, not Arturo Merino Benitez Airport’s full network. This is not a complete list of airlines at Arturo Merino Benitez Airport.
Routes from SCL
Source: Originfacts route records, last updated 21 May 2026. Not verified by hand.
The route Originfacts tracks from SCL so far, listed with the distance and estimated flight time in each route record. Only 1 route from SCL is in Originfacts’ route records so far — a small sample, not Arturo Merino Benitez Airport’s full network. Check live schedules with the airline.
Full list of destinations: nuevopudahuel.cl (opens in a new tab) (the airport’s official site)
Airlines with a hub at SCL
Per Wikidata (opens in a new tab) (retrieved 5 Oct 2026): airlines whose “airline hub” property names SCL, with no end date and not recorded as dissolved. Community-edited; hubs change.
Where SCL is
14 km west-northwest
Arturo Merino Benitez Airport lies 14 km west-northwest of Santiago 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 SCL
Terminal assignments, ground transport into Santiago, parking, lounges and accessibility services have not been verified against Arturo Merino Benitez Airport’s own pages yet, so none are listed here.
Check directly:nuevopudahuel.cl (opens in a new tab)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.
Climate at SCL, month by month
Source: NASA POWER (opens in a new tab) daily values for 2016–2025 at -33.40°, -70.79° (MERRA-2 reanalysis grid, about 50 km cells), averaged by Originfacts. Modelled, not airport weather-station readings.
Warmest: February (average high 30°C). Coolest: June (16°C high, 5°C low). Wettest: June (47 mm); driest: November (5 mm).
| Month | High | Low | Temperature range | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30°C | 15°C | 13 mm | |
| Feb | 30°C | 15°C | 8 mm | |
| Mar | 28°C | 13°C | 9 mm | |
| Apr | 24°C | 11°C | 12 mm | |
| May | 20°C | 8°C | 20 mm | |
| Jun | 16°C | 5°C | 47 mm | |
| Jul | 17°C | 5°C | 24 mm | |
| Aug | 18°C | 5°C | 16 mm | |
| Sep | 21°C | 6°C | 10 mm | |
| Oct | 23°C | 8°C | 8 mm | |
| Nov | 27°C | 11°C | 5 mm | |
| Dec | 29°C | 13°C | 7 mm |
Airports near Santiago
Straight-line distances calculated from each airport’s coordinates in the Originfacts airport records. Road distances are longer.
- Vina del MarVina del MarKNA83 km
- MendozaEl Plumerillo International AirportMDZ196 km
- San RafaelSan Rafael AirportAFA257 km
- San JuanSan Juan AirportUAQ296 km
- La SerenaLa Florida AirportLSC389 km
- San LuisSan Luis AirportLUQ412 km
- ConcepcionCarriel Sur AirportCCP429 km
- MerloValle Del ConlaraRLO502 km
- La RiojaLa Rioja AirportIRJ587 km
Arturo Merino Benitez Airport: common questions
Where is Arturo Merino Benitez Airport?
Arturo Merino Benitez Airport serves Santiago, Chile. Its coordinates in OurAirports are -33.393°, -70.786°.
What are the airport codes for Arturo Merino Benitez Airport?
The IATA code is SCL and the ICAO code is SCEL.
What time zone is SCL in?
Arturo Merino Benitez Airport is in the America/Santiago time zone.
What is the official website of Arturo Merino Benitez Airport?
The airport’s official website is nuevopudahuel.cl. For questions about a booking, contact the operating airline.
Which airlines are listed on routes from SCL?
Originfacts’ route records (last updated 21 May 2026) list Sky Airline and LATAM Airlines on routes from SCL. This is not a complete list of airlines at Arturo Merino Benitez Airport; check current schedules with the airline.
Where can you fly from SCL?
Originfacts’ route records (last updated 21 May 2026) include only one route from SCL so far, to Lima. That is a small sample, not Arturo Merino Benitez Airport’s full network. For the full list of destinations, check the airport’s official website (nuevopudahuel.cl) or the airlines.
How many runways does Arturo Merino Benitez Airport have?
OurAirports lists 2 open runways at SCL: 17L/35R (3,750 m (12,303 ft), asphalt); 17R/35L (3,750 m (12,303 ft), asphalt).
Where can you fly nonstop from SCL?
Travelpayouts fare data retrieved 5 Oct 2026 showed nonstop fares from SCL to 47 destinations in 21 countries, the most in Chile (14), Brazil (6) and Argentina (3). That reflects fares travellers found, not a complete or live schedule.
When did Arturo Merino Benitez Airport open?
Wikidata gives 9 February 1967 as its official opening date.
How many passengers use Arturo Merino Benitez Airport?
Wikidata records 24.9 million passengers for 2023, the latest year it holds.
Which airlines have a hub at SCL?
Wikidata lists SCL as a hub of Fast Air, JetSmart, LATAM Airlines, LATAM Cargo Chile, One Airlines and Sky Airline.
How far is SCL from Santiago city centre?
Arturo Merino Benitez Airport is about 14 km west-northwest of Santiago city centre in a straight line, calculated from coordinates. The distance by road is longer.
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 Arturo Merino Benitez Airport’s own pages.
- Codes, location, time zoneOriginfacts airport record2 May 2026
- Official websiteWikidata record (official website property) (opens in a new tab)5 Oct 2026
- Coordinates, runways, type, elevationOurAirports (opens in a new tab) — public domain5 Oct 2026
- Opening, operator, passengers, hubsWikidata item Q127671 (opens in a new tab) — CC05 Oct 2026
- Nonstop destinations, airlines on faresTravelpayouts Data API (Aviasales fare cache) — fares found, not a complete or live schedule5 Oct 2026
- ClimateNASA POWER (opens in a new tab) daily data (MERRA-2 reanalysis), averaged by Originfacts2016–2025
- Distance to city centreCalculated from airport coordinates and the Wikidata (opens in a new tab) city-centre point—
- Airlines and routesOriginfacts route records — the routes we track, not a full schedule21 May 2026
- Nearby airportsCalculated from airport coordinates—
- Terminals and transportNot yet verified—
Background reading:Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)