FROM RECYCLING TO AIRPLANE MEALS, LOCAL COMMUNITY BUSINESS SUPPLIES THE AIRPORT.

The story of Quito’s new airport could be the story of a perfect win-win situation. Airports are huge economic engines for cities around the world, generating a tremendous amount of aeronautical and non-aeronautical commerce and employment. Yet, as the highest capital city in the world, Quito, Ecuador, used to have one of the world’s most dangerous airports. This inhibited the city’s ability to make the best use of this potential economic engine, which limited the city’s economic viability in turn.

So when the time came to build a new airport, a strategic decision was made to not just focus on building a fully operational airport, but to also use the opportunity to build immediate and meaningful long-term relationships with the communities that are impacted directly by this new infrastructure so the airport’s economic potential could be shared with those closest to it. From partnerships with local farmers to a community-led airport waste management program, the new Quito airport provides social, economic and environmental benefits to local communities as well as to the city as a whole.

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