Antiguo Aeropuerto de las Fuerzas Aereas

As you stand before the old tarmac of Antiguo Aeropuerto de las Fuerzas Aereas, the imposing presence of the Lieutenant Bergerie airport stands before you. This once bustling hub, a vital connection to the outside world, now sits mostly quiet, its purpose shifting over the course of the 20th century. It started as a military airfield during a pivotal moment in world history – World War II. Constructed during the war, this was an important link in the Allies’ efforts to secure rubber supplies from the Amazon during a time when the Japanese captured the major rubber-producing areas in Southeast Asia. The United States built the airport and a hospital in Iquitos to prevent the Axis powers from taking control of South America. This remote outpost was crucial for the war effort. You can imagine the scene as a Douglas DC-3, the aircraft chosen to transport the vital rubber to the US, prepares to takeoff. With a powerful roar, it lifts off the runway, carrying with it the promise of victory. Later, when the war concluded, the US handed over the airport and the hospital to Peru, who then used it as a commercial airport until 1979, when a new, larger airport was built. Since then, the airport has served as a military airfield, home to the Grupo Aereo 42. The airport’s old runway, however, remains a stark reminder of the past, a testament to the ingenuity of people who turned a seemingly ordinary piece of land into a vital connection in the heart of the Amazon. It is a reminder of a time when Iquitos, a place many consider remote, was thrust onto the world stage. Now, years later, it stands a little lost in time, a memory of how far the area has come since the war. The airport has become a symbol of Iquitos, a place that remains important to the city’s history and its future.