Aerocafé kicks off with US$174mn and puts the State to the test

Colombia signed the document that marks the beginning of the first stage of the Aeropuerto del Café (Aerocafé), a project awaited for more than five decades that seeks to strengthen air connectivity and the logistical development of the Coffee Belt.

The initiative entails an investment of 634.275 billion (bn) pesos (US$174 million (mn)) and an execution period of 46 months. The contract, awarded in December 2025, went to the Aeropuerto del Café SK consortium, made up of KMA Construcciones  and Solarte Nacional de Construcciones (Sonacol).

The entire project is designed in three stages with a total estimated cost of 1 trillion (tn) pesos, according to statements to local media by Fernando Merchán Ramos, manager of Aerocafé, the public company responsible for structuring the project.

The first phase includes a 1,460-meter runway that should enter into operation in 2029 with domestic flights, while the second will extend the runway to 2,600 meters to enable international flights, and the third will extend it to 3,800 meters with capacity for cargo operations.

Although the first phase already has secured financing, stages two and three still lack financial backing, which introduces an element of uncertainty. According to Merchán, these stages could be developed under public-private partnership schemes.

The airport will be built in the municipality of Palestina, in the department of Caldas, and is envisioned as a catalyst for competitiveness for the Coffee Region, with impacts that will extend to seven departments: Valle del Cauca, Tolima, Chocó, Antioquia, Caldas, Quindío and Risaralda.

The pre-construction stage will last between six and eight months and the construction stage 24 months.

The strategic location seeks to overcome the limitations of the current La Nubia airport in Manizales and consolidate the region as a logistics and tourism hub.

The decision on the financing model for the other two stages will fall to the next government, which will take office in August after the departure of Gustavo Petro’s administration, making Aerocafé a project whose continuity will depend on the State’s ability to maintain strategic priorities beyond political cycles.

The Aeropuerto del Café is part of the 2025-2040 Regional Logistics Plan of the RAP Eje Cafetero Region, within the list of projects for enhancing logistics connectors. 

This plan includes initiatives such as the Western Colombian Logistics Platform, the La Dorada Logistics Platform, the El Edén Air Cargo Center in Quindío, the La Tebaida Dry Port in Quindío, the CLIX Connection Intermodal Logistics Center in Flandes, the Tolima Business Logistics Park, the strengthening of the Pereira airport and the Chinchiná Container Yard.

The inclusion of Aerocafé in the logistics plan confirms that this is not an isolated project, but a link within an integrated regional strategy.

The inclusion of Aerocafé in the 2025–2040 Regional Logistics Plan of the RAP Eje Cafetero Region confirms that this is not an isolated project, but rather a link within an integrated regional strategy to consolidate the Eje Cafetero as a logistics hub. 

In this context, the start of the works represents a commitment to regional transformation and a gauge of Colombia's capacity to coordinate public and private investment, ensure sustained execution, stable financing, and effective governance beyond changes in government.

(The original version of this content was written in Spanish)