82 // Extreme Airportsanother local carrier, Transportes Aéreos
Nacionales (TAN) acquired Pan Am’s
40% in SAHSA, but the two continued to
operate independently. TAN immediately
launched services to Miami using
737s, while the two-term President of
Honduras Oswaldo López Arellano, who
owned both local airlines, ensured they
were protected from competition by
refusing US carriers the rights to fly into
the country.
SAHSA became dogged by controversy
during the 1980s, following a spate
of accidents that earned it a most
unfortunate derogation of its name
(Stay At Home Stay Alive) among
industry observers and enthusiasts.
The two airlines were merged in the
early 1990s to become TAN-SAHSA.
At its peak, the combined carrier
operated a fleet of more than a dozenBoeing narrowbodied jets and flew to
40 destinations in Central, South and
North America as well as the Caribbean.
However, TAN-SAHSA was not immune
to mishaps and, following a further
series of hard landings that caused
damage to its aircraft (and reputation),
the airline was shut down in 1994 amid
allegations of corruption and a poor
safety record.
Then another accident occurred on
May 30, 2008 when Airbus A320-233
EI-TAF (c/n 1374), operating TACA flight
TA390, overran the Runway 02 and
rolled into a street, crashed into an
embankment and damaged several
cars. Five people including the captain,
two passengers and two occupants
of vehicles died. Honduran President
Manuel Zelaya immediately insisted
Toncontín should be limited to domesticflights, and that larger aircraft would
have to use Soto Cano Air Force Base
52 miles (84km) north. An International
Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) safety
audit made recommendations for
improvements, but President Zelaya
reiterated his determination to ban jets
from TGU. The airport reopened on July
8, 2008 following pressure from local
businessmen, but Zelaya reaffirmed his
desire to have most flights moved to
Soto Cano by 2009. However, he was
removed from office on June 28, 2009 in
a coup d’état, and international services
have remained at Toncontín.The infamous approach
Toncontín has regularly been criticised in
the media and consistently labelled as one
of the ten most dangerous airports in the
world. In reality, although its approachesAIRPORT STATISTICS
IATA code: TGU
ICAO code: MHTG
Location: N14°3.62’ W87°13.04’
Elevation: 3,307ft (1,008m)
Runway: 02/20 7,096 x 148ft
(2,162 x 45m)
Frequencies: Approach 119.10, 126.70
Ground 121.90
Tower 118.70
Website: http://www.interairports.hn/aer-
opuerto-de-tegucigalpa/TEGUCIGALPA
ABOVE: A United
Airlines Boeing
737-724 makes the
dramatic low-level
turn onto short
final for Runway 02.BELOW: American
Airlines has
replaced Boeing
757s – the largest
aircraft that used
the airport regularly- with smaller 737s.
BELOW RIGHT:
Copa Airlines
serves the
Honduran capital
from its hub in
Panama City.
80-85_Tegucigalpa_TC.indd 82 11/05/2018 11:21