Ascara Global Aerodrome

 (: VQA, : EVQA) (: Aeródromo Global de Ascara) is an serving Ascara, the largest  and  of Ventora. It is the first commercial airport in the and the busiest by both passenger and cargo volume. It is a hub for Avensa and Ventavia, the latter having its headquarters on the airport grounds. The of Ascara owns the airport while Servicios de Aeródromos SA, a private concern, holds the operations concession.

History
Located 13 km from the city's financial district, Ascara Global Aerodrome is Ventora's first commercial airport. When it opened on September 20, 1924, it had a single 1400 m runway (18/36), a terminal building, and four s for housing and maintaining aircraft. It handled domestic and international travel from the start. Regularly scheduled commercial operations began in 1927 with daily flights to Plenas and thrice weekly service to Jaliyah, Haksarad. As air travel became more affordable, airlines began to schedule flights to more destinations.

During the Second World War, an asphalt northwest-southeast runway (15/33) was built to improve safety of take-offs and landings when crosswinds made operations on the original runway hazardous. Increasing passenger traffic after the war led to the addition of a second terminal for domestic flights. The original terminal was then dedicated to international travel.

With increasing aircraft sizes and climbing passenger counts, the airport added a second north-south runway in 1952. The new, longer runway was 3000 m which has since been extended to 4300 m and is today's 18R/36L runway. A cargo terminal opened in 1954, just before the start of the Third World War.

In the 1990s, Terminal 3 was constructed and Terminal 2 was completely renovated. A new 4350 m runway, now designated 18R/36L was inaugurated in 1998 and the original 18/36 runway was taken out of service. As a result, none of the active runways at VQA cross any other runway, thereby improving the safety of air operations. Avensa began construction of Terminal 4 in 2001, which was completed in 2004. Two new 3500 m parallel runways (18L/36R and 14L/32R) were constructed, both becoming operational in 2007. Subsequently, the original 15/33 runway was reconstructed, extended to 4100 m, and redesignated 14R/32R.

Facilities
The airport currently has four runways arranged in parallel pairs: north-south 18L/36R and 18R/36L and northwest-southeast 14L/32R and 14R/32L. The newest runways (14L/32R and 18L/36R) are 3500 m long and constructed of. At 4500 m, the longest runway is 18R/36L, which is asphalt and concrete. The other runway (14R/32L) is an runway 4100 m in length. The runway configuration allows for simultaneous takeoffs and landings, providing a capability of handling 120 aircraft movments per hour.

There are four terminals, although only three are use for commercial operations. Terminal 1 is now the executive terminal. Ventavia and GlobalSkies carriers use Terminal 2. Terminal 3 handles regional and low density air carriers. The newest terminal, Terminal 4, handles Avensa and WorldWise alliance airlines. A shuttle bus connects all four terminals on the landside. On the airside, walkways and moving walkways connect Terminals 2, and 3, while a sub-surface automated people mover connects Terminals 2, 3, and 4.

All four terminals offer airside shopping, seating areas, and a variety of food options. Terminal 2 has two GlobalSkies-afffiliated s. Avensa operates its own lounge in Terminal 4 and three additional WorldWise-affiliated lounges are also located within the terminal. As an executive terminal, Terminal 1 has a pay-as-you go lounge operated by Salón Principal with no extra fees charged to its members. The company also operates a lounge, unaffiliated with any airline, in Terminal 3 which may be accessed by Principal members or any ticketed passenger on a pay-as-you-go basis. Because of the distance separating Terminal 4 from the other terminals, Avensa and Ventavia have arranged for their members to access the other airline's lounge if they have a first class ticket on that airline.

Airlines and destinations
Avensa and Ventavia both designate Ascara Global Aerodrome as a hub airport. Other domestic s include Avensa Expreso and Alutranair. KIL Royal Ecoralian Air Service and Myrish Airways are the largest foreign airlines calling on VQA. Along with other carriers, the airport serves destinations across Ventora and throughout the world. Ventavia and cargo airline Carga Aérea Primero both have their head offices on the airport grounds.

Ground transport
Taxis, buses, and trains serve the airport. The A411 autovía connects the airport with the financial district and other motorways in the region. The airport has six parking areas, including short-term and long-term parking. There is a parking area connected by walkways and moving walkways to Terminal 2, and subsequently Terminals 1 and 3. Another parking area connects by walkway and moving walkways to Terminal 4. The other parking areas can reach any of the terminals via complimentary shuttle service.

Rail
Terminals 2 and 4 each have Ascara Metro stations which connect to the city center, financial district, and other lines to reach the entire metropolitan area. When Terminal 4 was constructed, the plan included space in the train station to include a line from the Ascara regional commuter rail system. Carril Municipio de Ascara (CMA, lit. Ascara Municipal Rail) extended line 4 to the Terminal 4 station in 2007.

High speed rail service managed by Tren Rapido (TR, lit. high-speed train) was routed through the Terminal 4 station in 2011, although not all trains stop there. As a result, VQA is one of the few airports with direct high-speed rail connections.

Buses
Both intercity and municipal transit buses serve the airport. Each terminal has a transit bus stop adjacent to the taxi stands. Long-distance buses pick up and drop off at Terminals 2 and 4 only.

Accidents and incidents

 * August 8, 2018, Ventavia flight 788, a, landed on runway 18R/36L without a front landing gear. Seven passengers and 2 flight attendants suffered minor injuries.