On 15 November, the new terminal at the Carrasco international airport will be ready. It is almost four times higher than the current airport and can accommodate 3 million passengers a year. The new terminal will be inaugurated on the 4th of October, that day will be attended by President Tabare Vazquez and other authorities.
The new airport will have cafes, vip lounges, two McDonalds and a popular restaurant. The terminal will have eight gates, four of them equipped with telescopic sleeves, for passenger traffic. The baggage handling system will be fully automated as the conveyor belts will now carry the luggage from the check-in area to the point of exit of baggage. But before leaving, all luggage must go through the technical inspection on the mezzanine, equipped with modern security systems with X-ray equipment.
For arrivals, there will be three bands for the baggage claim, one of those with double capacity, to serve major flights. The new infrastructure of the terminal aims to cater to the demands of intercontinental flights now landing in the city. In fact, in view of this and as part of the same project, the main runway landing Carrasco, the 06-24, was taken to a length of 3,200 meters to allow the operation of larger transcontinental flights.
The Duty Free area in Carrasco's new airport will have twice the current size. It will measure 3,000m2 and will be "the largest in South America". Some brands that are going to be in the new duty free, are: Montblanc, Hermes, Nike, Puma, Tumi, Tommy Hilfiger, Columbia, and Calvin Klein. There is also the Uruguayan brand, Manos del Uruguay Customs regulations restrict the admission of alcohol and cigarettes to two liters and two cartons.
