Transfer at Bogotá Airport
El Dorado Airport has a modern and large main terminal 1 and a smaller terminal 2, which is only used by small airlines Clic and Satena.
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Terminal 1
The main terminal is very spacious, modern and well equipped with services.
Queues for immigration control upon arrival vary between 20 and 45 minutes. Queues for pre-departure security checks tend to be between 5 and 15 minutes.
Terminal 1 is used by all airlines except Clic, Jetsmart and Satena.
The public area is shared by all departures. There are two security checkpoints at the airport: one leading to international departure gates A and B and the other to domestic departure gates C and D.
As Terminal 1 is large, we recommend arriving at least 2 hours before departure.
Terminal 2
This small old building is located about 500 meters from Terminal 1 and serves exclusively regional airlines Clic, Jetsmart and Satena.
The terminal is quite cramped, but check-in is quick and you only need to arrive 75-90 minutes before departure.
Transfer between flights
Transfers are very easy and well organised. Below we describe a situation where you have purchased your flights as one booking and the transfer is guaranteed by the airline, or you are travelling with hand luggage only and have a boarding pass for the connecting flight.
The information below applies to connecting flights within Terminal 1.
If you need to move between Terminal 1 and Terminal 2, you must always collect your baggage, leave the building and move to the other terminal.
If you need to move from the main Terminal 1 to the small Terminal 2, use the free shuttle bus service. Stops are always on the ground level of the terminals at several locations, and the bus is labeled "Eldorado Shuttle Bus". It runs free roughly every 20 minutes (5:00am to 11:00pm) and the transfer takes around 20 minutes.
International <-> International
You don't have to go through immigration when transferring internationally (e.g. Madrid - Bogota - Panama). Follow the "Connecting Flights" signage, which will take you through a security checkpoint set aside for transfer passengers only.
This check is usually quick and queues are 5-10 minutes at most. After that you will be in the departure gate area.
The net transfer time is between 25 and 45 minutes depending on where your departure gate is located.
- Baggage: will be transferred automatically
- Immigration check: no
- Security check: yes
International -> Domestic
If you arrive in Colombia on an international flight and then continue on a domestic flight to your Colombian destination, you will have to go through immigration and customs already in Bogotá.
Upon arrival, proceed to passport control and towards the exit. After immigration and customs control, you will exit the transit area, take the escalator to the first floor and pass through security to the domestic transit area.
You do not worry about your luggage and pick it up at your final destination.
The net transfer time varies between 45 and 90 minutes depending on passport control.
- Baggage: will be transferred automatically
- Immigration control: yes
- Security check: yes
National -> International
When travelling from a Colombian city via Bogotá to a foreign country, the procedure is very similar to the other way around.
Upon arrival, head to the exit, go outside to the public area and go up to the 1st floor. Here you will pass through security and passport control into the international transit area.
The queues for passport control on departure are shorter than on arrival and therefore the net transfer time is between 35 and 75 minutes.
- Baggage: will be transferred automatically
- Immigration control: yes
- Security check: yes
Domestic <-> Domestic
The easiest transfer to make is if you are travelling from a Colombian city to another destination in Colombia.
Upon arrival, you'll disembark straight into the departure gate area, where you'll simply search for your connecting flight.
The net transfer time varies from 5 to 20 minutes, depending on the distance to the subsequent departure gate.
- Baggage: will be transferred automatically
- Immigration check: no
- Security check: no
Any questions left?
If you have any questions or comments about the article...
6 comments
Thanks for the information! My question: We fly from lima via bogota to curacao with avianca av074 and d onwards with avuanca av092. Departure in Lina at 2:55, arrival Bogota 6:05, onward flight 7:05. One hour for transfer. Baggage will be forwarded. Is one hour enough? Thanks in advance! Alexander
Any connecting time the airline sells is sufficient ;)
An hour isn't much, but Bogota airport is well organized and can be made without any problems.
Avianca flies the Bogota-Curacao route twice a day, so even if there's a big delay on the flight from Lima, you'd probably still get to your destination that day.
Thank you very much!
Das Foto sieht als Riva am Gardasee bei Nacht aus.
Exactly. It was at midnight on New Year's Eve!
are jetsmart and latam leaving terminal 1?
Latam flies from Terminal 1, Jetsmart uses Terminal 2.
Hi, I arrive in Bogota with Iberia at 4.20 am, then I take a flight from Bogota to Perieira via terminal 2 (jetsmart) departing at 8.20 am, how do I proceed? I only have cabin baggage, do I have to go through immigration? and is 8.20 am enough time or is it risky enough? thank you.
Hello,
Thanks for the article. I have a question. I have 3 hours layover in Bogota between my two international flights. They are not connecting flights as I had to book them separately. I do not have any checked luggage. Do i still need to exit and go through immigration check? Thank you for the reply in advance.
You don't have to go to immigration. Just follow the Connecting flights sign. You will need a boarding pass for the next flight to make a smooth transfer, for example, you can get one at online check-in.
Hello, I have a question. My final destination is San Salvador. But I'm flying from São Paulo and making a stopover in Bogotá and then Medellin. I bought everything at once through avianca. Would I have to go through immigration? Or just follow the connection?
Hello, yes, in this case you will have to go through immigration control as the Bogota - Medellín flight is domestic.
However, your luggage should be automatically transferred.
Hello, thank you for this detailed information. I have a 1h10 stopover in Bogotá between my flight from Medellín and my flight to Paris, all on a single ticket with Avianca. This seems to me to be a fairly short connection time. Is it enough to complete the necessary formalities and reach my flight without difficulty?
Thank you in advance for your feedback.