# Desierto de Atacama Airport (CPO)

> Copiapo, CL · IATA: CPO · ICAO: SCAT · Medium Airport

## Quick Facts

| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| IATA | `CPO` |
| ICAO | `SCAT` |
| City | Copiapo |
| Country | CL |
| Type | Medium Airport |
| Elevation | 204 m |
| Cargo | ❌ |
| GPS | -27.26120, -70.77920 |

## Description

Copper and gold mining in the Atacama Region, not passenger demand, explains why Desierto de Atacama Airport (CPO) exists at all: it opened in February 2005 inland from Copiapó to replace the cramped Chamonate field. A 2,200 metre runway takes Airbus A319, A320 and A321 aircraft, and the airport handled roughly 711,000 passengers in 2024. LATAM, Sky Airline and JetSMART fly scheduled narrow-body services, mostly toward Santiago; there are no dedicated freighters, so air cargo travels as belly load and palletised or outsize shipments are consolidated through Santiago (SCL), with the port of Caldera about an hour west for sea freight. Since 2024 a consortium of Sacyr (70%) and Cointer (30%) holds the concession for up to 26 years, and the present 3,100 square metre terminal is set to grow to 18,274 square metres, with construction from 2027 and opening planned for 2030. For forwarders the practical read is unchanged: CPO is a passenger and mining-access point, while real cargo capacity routes via SCL.

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*Freight Academy — Airport Profile: [https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/airports/desierto-de-atacama-airport-cpo](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/airports/desierto-de-atacama-airport-cpo)*

*Markdown mirror: [https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/airports/en/desierto-de-atacama-airport-cpo](https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/airports/en/desierto-de-atacama-airport-cpo)*

*LLM-Summary (JSON): https://www.freight-academy.com/api/v1/airports/desierto-de-atacama-airport-cpo/llm-summary*