Getting around MDE
José María Córdova is not in Medellín — it sits in Rionegro, a separate municipality roughly 2,100 metres up in the hills east of the city, reached via the Sandiego roundabout and the Túnel de Oriente rather than a quick city hop. Medellín keeps its own smaller, closer airport, Olaya Herrera (EOH); do not confuse the two when booking transport. The terminal itself is a single building — there is no North/South or Terminal 1/2 split to navigate, just Salas Nacionales and Salas Internacionales zones on the upper floors. The airport is run by Airplan, whose majority shareholder since October 2017 is Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste (ASUR), the Mexican operator listed on the BMV and NYSE; the concession itself dates to 2008 and runs to at least 2032. In 2025 José María Córdova marked its 40th anniversary — it opened on 29 August 1985 — and Aerocivil, Colombia’s civil aviation authority, calls it the country’s second-busiest airport, moving more than 14 million passengers a year. It is also Colombia’s second-largest cargo airport, with flowers the biggest international export around Valentine’s Day.
