Tibú Airport TIB / SKTB

SATENA is the contracted/designated operator of the Cúcuta-Tibú route (Beechcraft 1900D, self-handling model, no third-party ground agent documented at this small state-run field) and has been the only carrier flying to Tibú since the airport's 18 June 2025 reopening. The route's operating status has been highly unstable through 2026, however: suspended indefinitely from 24 April 2026 after the kidnapping of the route's operations administrator (per Noticias RCN, Aviacionline), and a planned 10 July 2026 reopening was cancelled the day before after a drone/explosive attack on the terminal (LaFM, El Nuevo Siglo, Cambio Colombia). No source found confirming flights have resumed since. Downgraded from the draft's "available / currently 2x/week Mon & Fri" — that reflected the announced-but-cancelled July reopening plan, not a confirmed active service — to unconfirmed pending verification of resumed flights.

When operating, the combined pax/cargo Beechcraft 1900D service also carries essential provisions, medical supplies and cargo into Tibú as part of the route's humanitarian/connectivity role for the Catatumbo region (~70,000 people displaced by armed-group clashes, per El Espectador coverage of the reactivation). No dedicated cargo terminal or named freight handler; belly-cargo on scheduled pax flights only — and per the ground_handling entry, those flights are themselves unconfirmed as currently active given the route's repeated 2026 suspensions.

An airport security/surveillance team is confirmed on-site under Aerocivil's direct operation: all three people injured when explosive-laden drones struck the terminal's administrative offices on 9-10 July 2026 were members of this team (blast-wave trauma, hospitalized); the Colombian Army's Second Division attributed the attack to the ELN. Confirmed via El Nuevo Siglo, LaFM and Cambio Colombia national coverage. The earlier draft's quoted "seguridad AVSEC, control de fauna" line attributed to a government announcement could not be located in Aerocivil's or El Espectador's actual reactivation coverage (which instead itemizes runway/platform/taxiway/drainage/signage/fencing/water works) and has been removed as unconfirmed. Contractor identity (in-house Aerocivil staff vs. a private security firm) remains unconfirmed.

State civil aviation authority operates Tibú Airport (SKTB/TIB) directly as a public, non-concessioned regional field; holds the infrastructure-rehabilitation contract (runway, platform, taxiway, drainage, signage, perimeter fencing, water/sanitary works) that reopened the airport to commercial traffic on 18 June 2025, confirmed contract value ~COP 711 million (62%+ complete at announcement), per Aerocivil's own release (aerocivil.gov.co/publicaciones/4310) and El Espectador. Corrects an earlier "COP 3.4bn+" figure that could not be verified against any primary source found. A second reactivation, planned for July 2026 after an April 2026 route suspension, was itself disrupted by a drone attack on the terminal (see security entry); no source found confirming flights have resumed since.