AirportsEl Calafate - Commander Armando Tola International Airport is a medium-sized airport serving El Calafate, in Santa Cruz Province, Argentina. It has scheduled airline flights. Its IATA code, the three letters printed on tickets and baggage tags, is FTE.
Key facts
- IATA code
- FTE
- ICAO code
- SAWC
- City
- El Calafate
- State or region
- Santa Cruz Province
- Country
- Argentina
- Kind
- Medium airport
- Coordinates
- 50.2803° S, 72.0534° W
- Elevation
- 204 m (669 ft)
- Runways
- 1
- Longest runway
- 2,550 m (8,366 ft)
Airport codes
On a ticket or a baggage tag, FTE means El Calafate - Commander Armando Tola International Airport. Pilots and air traffic controllers use a different, four-letter ICAO code: SAWC. ICAO codes that begin with S belong to South America. How the two kinds of code differ.
Where it is
The airport lies at 50.2803° S, 72.0534° W. It stands 204 metres (669 feet) above sea level. The nearest town in our data is El Calafate, about 17 km away in a straight line.
Local time
Time now at the airport: loading
Time zone America/Argentina/Rio Gallegos, taken from the nearest town in the data. Flight times on tickets are always in the local time of each airport.
Runways
El Calafate - Commander Armando Tola International Airport has 1 runway in the data. The longest is 2,550 metres (8,366 feet). That is long enough for most passenger jets. Among the 45 airports of Argentina on this site with runway data, its longest runway ranks number 18.
| Runway | Length | Width | Surface | Lights |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7/25 | 2,550 m 8,366 ft | 45 m | Concrete | Yes |
The numbers in a runway name give its compass direction. How runway numbers work.
Nearest airports with scheduled flights
| Airport | Code | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| 28 de Noviembre AirportRio Turbio | RYO | 148 km |
| Lieutenant Julio Gallardo AirportPuerto Natales, Chile | PNT | 158 km |
| Gobernador Gregores AirportGobernador Gregores | GGS | 216 km |
| Piloto Civil Norberto Fernández International AirportRio Gallegos | RGL | 242 km |
| President Carlos Ibáñez International AirportPunta Arenas, Chile | PUQ | 314 km |
Distance to major airports
| To | Distance | Rough flying time |
|---|---|---|
| Delhi (DEL)India | 16,475 km | 20 h 20 min |
| Mumbai (BOM)India | 15,370 km | 19 h 00 min |
| Dubai (DXB)United Arab Emirates | 14,766 km | 18 h 15 min |
| London Heathrow (LHR)United Kingdom | 13,168 km | 16 h 20 min |
| New York JFK (JFK)United States | 10,111 km | 12 h 40 min |
| Los Angeles (LAX)United States | 10,413 km | 13 h 05 min |
| Singapore (SIN)Singapore | 14,561 km | 18 h 05 min |
| Tokyo Haneda (HND)Japan | 16,983 km | 21 h 00 min |
| Sydney (SYD)Australia | 9,732 km | 12 h 15 min |
Distances are the shortest path over the globe, worked out from the coordinates. Flying times are rough estimates for a direct jet flight. They do not mean that a direct flight exists. Work out the distance to any airport.
Links
Airport data: OurAirports, as downloaded on 11 November 2026. This page does not show live flights, terminals or airlines. For those, use the airport's or the airline's own site. See About and data sources.