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Named after Antonio José de Sucre, Quito’s Mariscal Sucre airport is located in the heart of the city, which makes for quite the descent. For safety reasons, the airport is going to be moved an hour outside the city in just under a year’s time, so I wanted to devote a post to the stomach-lurching, wide-eyed feeling that landing there inspires.

At 2800m above sea level, Mariscal Sucre is one of the highest airports in the world. And its location in the centre of a sprawling metropolis bordered by volcanoes makes for a difficult expansion plan. The new airport, which has many of Quito’s residents grumbling because of its distance, should open in late 2011.