To a greater extent, the uniqueness of this island lies in its ambiguous opinion. On the one hand, people know everything about this area, and on the other, almost nothing. Mysterious stone statues of Easter Island are silent witnesses to an unknown ancient culture. It is still unclear how and who created these giant sculptures from the rocks.
And among such ancient witnesses of the past, modern people built an airport on Easter Island. It will be discussed in the article, but first we will provide some information about this unique corner of our planet.
General information
The island is located in the southeast Pacific between Tahiti and Chile. The natives called it Rapa Nui (or Rapanui). This is the most remote land area on the globe. The distance to the mainland land in the west is 2092 kilometers, in the east - 2971 kilometers. It has an island in the shape of a triangle, in every corner of which there are extinct volcanoes.
Area - 160 square meters. km This area is recognized as the highest point above sea level. The hill is called the East Pacific. The famous traveler Thor Heyerdahl once wrote that the nearest land that locals see from the island is the Moon. The only city and capital of the island is Anga Roa. It should be noted that there is a flag and coat of arms.
There is also an airport on Easter Island, its name is Mataveri. This earth corner previously had several names: Waihu, San Carlos, Mata-ki-te-Ragi, Rapanui, Tekauhangoaru, Teapi, Te-Pitot-o-te-henua and Hititeirai.
What are the legends and studies talking about?
Before we find out where the Easter Island airport is, we will dive a little into the mysteries of this unique earthly place.
According to some legends, Easter Island was once part of one large country (for example, it may be the surviving part of Atlantis). And it looks quite believable, because at Easter today a lot of evidence has been found that confirms this. There are roads leading directly to the ocean, as well as underground tunnels dug, starting in local caves and paving the way in an unknown direction. There are other important evidence and unusual findings.
Interesting data on research on underwater off Easter Island and the Australian Howard Tirloren, who arrived in these places with the Cousteau group (1978), is presented. Having studied the coastal bottom of the ocean in detail, they came to the conclusion that the mountains under the water have an unusual appearance (there are holes in them resembling window openings) due to the fact that at one time there might have been a part of a big city in this place. It turns out that most of Easter Island went under water due to some kind of disaster.
Easter Island Airport
Mataveri International Airport serves the World Heritage Air Wharf, Chile's southeast ocean and Easter Island. This international airport is the only one on the island and the only starting point for tourists to the huge mysterious statues of Moai about. Easter.
The area of the runway has been increased due to its appointment as the location of the NASA shuttle. The airborne harbor is only served by LAN Airlines, and is operated by the Chilean Air Force.
Specifications
Easter Island International Airport is built on the territory of the state of Chile. It was located not far from the city of Hanga Roa and next to the towering volcano Rano Kao.
The rather large length of the airport, amounting to 3318 meters, is necessary for the landing of Shuttle spacecraft in emergency situations. Initially, in 1966, the United States built a military air base here, and already in 1986, the Space Agency of the same state installed special equipment for landing spacecraft.
The Mataveri airfield is used for the intermediate landing of one single international flight - from Santiago to the city of Papeete (Tahiti). This flight is operated by LAN Airlines. There are also flights of local airlines only to the city of Santiago, which are operated by the same airline. About 43 domestic and 1 international flights are made weekly.
The airport is intended for landing aircraft of any class. Between December and March, liners fly daily, and the rest of the time - once a week. Official Easter Island Airport Address: Isla de Pascua, Chile.
Infrastructure
Easter Island Airport is the most remote in the whole world. However, the flow of tourists who want to see the local ancient attractions with their own eyes is increasing every year on the island. In this regard, the number of flights is growing, as well as work is underway to increase the area of the terminal building, which has a restaurant, bar, gift shop, passenger lounge.
Within a radius of approximately three kilometers is the Explora Rapa Nui, built of wood, concrete and glass in the style of African lodges. The rooms have views of the Pacific Ocean and spacious green meadows. There are also guest houses and guest houses in the surrounding area.