Integral Accessibility to Airports in the Colombian Coffee Region. Case Study: Coffee Airport, Colombia

Abstract

Objectives: The investigation seeks to calculate the benefits generated in terms of travel time on the road network until the place where the International Coffee Airport, in the municipality of Palestina, in the department of Caldas, Colombia, will be built. Methods/Statistical Analysis: Calculating the integral accessibility to airports in current situation without the construction of Coffee Airport and future situation with the start-up of the Coffee Airport we can calculate the savings in travel time generated by the new facility in the Cofee Region. Besides, for the geo statistical model Kriging Ordinary model is used. Findings: The obtained results probe that the new airport benefits 528381 people in terms of travel time and accessibility and improved the Coffee Cultural Landscape and its importance in the Coffee Region Tourism. Application/Improvement: The integral accessibility as a planning tool to determine the advantages of the construction of new facilities like airports in terms of travel time on a specific road network. By calculating the integral accessibility to airports in current and future situations, with the start-up of the Coffee Airport, calculating the savings generated through the savings gradient is possible, finding which are the municipalities and percentage of population in the area of influence that will benefit the most in terms of time. Keywords: Airports, Coffee Airport, Colombian Coffee Region, Integral Accessibility, Saving Gradient