On February 28, the Chilean government and the private company Nuevo Pudahuel inaugurated Santiago de Chile’s brand-new Terminal 2, built exclusively to sustain international travel. Simple Flying recently had the opportunity to visit the new T2, and this is what we think about it.
The statistics
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Santiago’s Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport (SCL) required new infrastructure to be able to sustain the hub’s growth.
To cope with future demand levels, the airport operator (a private company called Nuevo Pudahuel) opted to build a new Terminal 2, which would receive all international traffic, leaving the older T1 for domestic services.
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LATAM is the largest operator in the airport. Photo: Daniel Martínez Garbuno | Simple Flying.
This new terminal would measure over 200,000 square meters and have a cost of over US$900 million. Nuevo Pudahuel opened the doors of the new terminal on February 28, and the international airlines gradually moved their services there. LATAM, SCL’s largest operator, was the last carrier to launch flights from the new T2. Other airlines operating from the new T2 are JetSMART, Sky Airline, Aeromexico, Delta, Avianca, Air France, and more.
According to Xavier Lortat-Jacob, CEO of Nuevo Pudahuel, the new T2 will allow Santiago de Chile to receive more than 30 million passengers in the future. Currently, due to the crisis, Santiago is still operating well below its pre-pandemic traffic levels.
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Santiago de Chile International Airport opened its new international Terminal in February. Photo: Daniel Martínez Garbuno | Simple Flying.
A tour through the terminal
Getting to Santiago’s airport is relatively easy via public and private transportation. Depending on the hour, the travel can be done in less than an hour from downtown Santiago.
The new T2 has ample space and plenty of technology, making the check-in process smoother and seamless.
Nonetheless, the new Terminal 2 is far from complete. Many commercial retail areas are closed, and the security and screening area only has a fraction of the screening lanes it could have. The airport operator will add more lanes as the recovery progresses in Santiago (arguably, first, the Chilean government has to ease the travel restrictions for international travelers before it sees an increase in traffic levels).
Regarding the closed commercial areas, Lortat-Jacob explained they are closed due to contractual reasons.
The commercial services inside Santiago de Chile’s airport are not administered by Nuevo Pudahuel. Instead, the Chilean army has the concession, but the contract is nearing its end, next year. Therefore, the Chilean military opted to only open half the commercial spaces. This is not ideal since airports generate most of their revenues from non-aeronautical services like retail.
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The new Terminal 2 receives international flights exclusively. Photo Daniel Martínez Garbuno | Simple Flying.
The good
Overall, the check-in and safety screening processes were quick and as touchless as possible, something we were grateful for after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Inside the terminal, the available commercial areas had enough to offer for the number of international passengers currently in Santiago.
The public address system has an adequate level of sound and clarity, meaning you can catch everything they say.
The boarding process was also fast, keeping enough social distance for the current times. Nonetheless, the reason that could have happened could have been the low load factors for international flights in Chile at the moment. We have to wait and see how the airport fares once Chile fully recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic.
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The new Terminal 2 is not fully complete at the moment. Photo: Daniel Martínez Garbuno | Simple Flying.
The bad
As an avgeek myself, I was pretty disappointed that the new T2 doesn’t have the best views. There are only a handful of places where you can take good pictures of the aircraft taxiing and parked in the new terminal.
The Chilean government has one of the strictest travel requirements to enter the country at the moment. Therefore, passengers must go through a health inspection in an adapted hallway upon arrival. During peak hours, that hallway can get crowded, as people show their documentation and are informed if they are obliged to take a PCR test before leaving the Terminal.
Nonetheless, these requirements will eventually end, making exiting Santiago de Chile’s new Terminal 2 a much faster process. Overall, the T2 is excellent, and the airport experience is nice.
Have you been to Santiago de Chile’s new Terminal 2? How was your experience? Let us know in the comments below.
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