Puerto Natales airport in the far south of Chilean Patagonia is scheduling closures in early 2027.
If you are visiting Patagonia in the New Year and you are planning on flying into (or out of) Puerto Natales airport in southern Chilean Patagonia (PNT) there will be airport maintenance work carried out on the terminal and runways in the New Year that may affect your travel plans.
This work has to be carried out in the Patagonian summer owing to the weather challenges in winter. There is a schedule but this is subject to modification and last minute changes depending on the progress of the work which begins in January 2027.
In January, flights will only be able to land from Friday to Sunday. In February and March, they will only be able to land on Saturdays and Sundays. The information is not yet official but airlines are already rescheduling their flights to Punta Arenas.
The alternative is to use Punta Arenas airport instead (PUQ) located roughly 3 hours to the south of Puerto Natales. Getting to Puerto Natales from Punta Arenas is straight forward. There are a few bus companies operating this route, notably Bus Sur and Buses Fernandez, both offer a reliable, comfortable service with WIFI (expect this to be sketchy), reclining seats and bathrooms on board. Bus seats should be pre-booked as buses can fill up quickly. Between the two bus companies mentioned there are departures roughly every hour from first thing in the morning to late at night (with a break for lunch). The bus takes just under 3 hours to make the journey from Punta Arenas to Puerto Natales (bus station) or vice versa. Buses do pick up/drop off at Punta Arenas airport so if you do not wish to visit Punta Arenas you can arrange a bus from the airport directly to Puerto Natales bus station. Make sure and leave an hour or so between your plane landing and your bus pick up time to be safe. There is a cafe at the airport. To catch your bus you would outside the front of the airport where the driver can see you. If you are travelling from Puerto Natales to Punta Arenas airport, you would disembark at the airport which is the stop before Punta Arenas rather than continue into the city.
If you want some ideas on what to do in Punta Arenas this could be a great opportunity to extend your trip with some fantastic marine wildlife opportunities accessible close by including seeing Magellanic penguins on Magdalena Island, visiting the Francisco Coloane Marine Park with whale watching excursions offered from December through March or, for a truly off the beaten track extension, visit the thriving king penguin colony at Useless Bay on the isle. Alternatively if Antarctica is on your bucket list, we work with the pioneer of the air-cruise model with flights to/from Antarctica from Punta Arenas.
If you are arriving into Puerto Natales from el Calafate the airport closure will not affect you.
For clients joining our custom or scheduled departures we can pre-book bus tickets for you on request or if you want the flexibility of a private transfer we can organise this for you.