Flying into Quito International Airport in Ecuador will no longer be the death-defying experience that terrified pilots and passengers for the past 53-years.  The South American country is FINALLY opening a new airport 44 kilometers away in an area where pilots don’t have to dodge mountains and buildings on the way in and out.

Landing at Old Mariscal Sucre International Airport is a thrill ride for some passengers who like to take video out the window on approach.  But the airfield has also been the scene of at least a dozen deadly mishaps, with incoming pilots weaving around obstacles and breaking heavily to avoid sliding off the short runway.  Taking off was no picnic, as the departing runway pointing directly at a mountain, and pilots needed every ounce of the engine’s power to clear it.

The runway at NEW Mariscal Sucre International Airport is 1,000 meters longer than the old one.  And the new airstrip is situated in a lower, flatter piece of land that will enhance a plane’s engine power.  It opens when Wednesday rolls around to South America.