El Dorado Airport has a modern and large main terminal 1 and a smaller terminal 2, which is only used by small airlines Clic and Satena.
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Terminal 1
The main terminal is very spacious, modern and well equipped with services.
Queues for immigration control upon arrival vary between 20 and 45 minutes. Queues for pre-departure security checks tend to be between 5 and 15 minutes.
Terminal 1 is used by all airlines except Clic and Satena.
The public area is shared by all departures. There are two security checkpoints at the airport: one leading to international departure gates A and B and the other to domestic departure gates C and D.
As Terminal 1 is large, we recommend arriving at least 2 hours before departure.
Terminal 2
This small old building is located about 500 meters from Terminal 1 and serves exclusively regional airlines Clic and Satena.
The terminal is quite cramped, but check-in is quick and you only need to arrive 75-90 minutes before departure.
Transfer between flights
Transfers are very easy and well organised. Below we describe a situation where you have purchased your flights as one booking and the transfer is guaranteed by the airline, or you are travelling with hand luggage only and have a boarding pass for the connecting flight.
The information below applies to a transfer within Terminal 1.
If you need to move between Terminal 1 and Terminal 2, you must always collect your baggage, leave the building and move to the other terminal.
If you need to move from the main Terminal 1 to the small Terminal 2, use the free shuttle bus service. Stops are always on the ground level of the terminals at several locations, and the bus is labeled "Eldorado Shuttle Bus". It runs free roughly every 20 minutes (5:00am to 11:00pm) and the transfer takes around 20 minutes.
International <-> International
You don't have to go through immigration when transferring internationally (e.g. Madrid - Bogota - Panama). Follow the "Connecting Flights" signage, which will take you through a security checkpoint set aside for transfer passengers only.
This check is usually quick and queues are 5-10 minutes at most. After that you will be in the departure gate area.
The net transfer time is between 25 and 45 minutes depending on where your departure gate is located.
- Baggage: will be transferred automatically
- Immigration check: no
- Security check: yes
International -> Domestic
If you arrive in Colombia on an international flight and then continue on a domestic flight to your Colombian destination, you will have to go through immigration and customs already in Bogotá.
Upon arrival, proceed to passport control and towards the exit. After immigration and customs control, you will exit the transit area, take the escalator to the first floor and pass through security to the domestic transit area.
You do not worry about your luggage and pick it up at your final destination.
The net transfer time varies between 45 and 90 minutes depending on passport control.
- Baggage: will be transferred automatically
- Immigration control: yes
- Security check: yes
National -> International
When travelling internationally from a Colombian city via Bogotá, the procedure is very similar to the other way around.
Upon arrival, head to the exit, go outside to the public area and go up to the 1st floor. Here you will pass through security and passport control into the international transit area.
The queues for passport control on departure are shorter than on arrival and therefore the net transfer time is between 35 and 75 minutes.
- Baggage: will be transferred automatically
- Immigration control: yes
- Security check: yes
Domestic <-> Domestic
The easiest transfer to make is if you are travelling from a Colombian city to another destination in Colombia.
Upon arrival, you'll disembark straight into the departure gate area, where you'll simply search for your connecting flight.
Net transfer time varies from 5 to 20 minutes, depending on the distance to the subsequent departure gate.
- Baggage: will be transferred automatically
- Immigration check: no
- Security check: no