Every La Aurora (GUA) suspension in the log below followed a specific event, such as fog, volcanic ash, a lighting failure or planned works. Each suspension in the log below was announced publicly. To know whether it is operating right now, check DGAC’s X account (@DGAC_CIV) and your airline’s flight status.

In short:

  • No published hours: the DGAC website pages read on 9 November 2026 show no operating-hours statement for La Aurora. Night flights operate. DGAC described its June 2025 lighting repair as restoring night-time operations.
  • What has closed it: fog, Pacaya ash (March 2021), a runway-lighting failure (about 9 hours, 7-8 June 2025), planned runway work (4 hours, 23 June 2025) and COVID-19 (2020).
  • What did not close it: Fuego’s eruption of August 2026 (DGAC: operations normal) and monsoon diversions in June 2024.
  • Latest dated disruption in this log: fog on 26 May 2026, resolved within hours.
  • Check: DGAC on X (@DGAC_CIV), your airline, and the Washington VAAC when a volcano is active.

How to check La Aurora’s status right now

This page is a dated log, not a live feed. On the day you fly, use the live sources:

  1. Your airline’s flight status. DGAC tells passengers to check with their airlines whenever weather causes diversions. During the June 2024 monsoon trough, AGN reported DGAC’s advice that “se recomienda a los usuarios que se comuniquen con sus aerolíneas para verificar posibles desvíos”, while the airport itself kept operating.
  2. DGAC on X, @DGAC_CIV (display name dgac_guatemala). This is the account whose posts AGN embeds in its 2025-2026 DGAC reports. Posts from 2020-2024 appear under @guatemala_dgac.
  3. The Washington VAAC for volcanic ash: https://www.ospo.noaa.gov/products/atmosphere/vaac/. The volcanic ash page explains how to read an advisory and keeps the full record of ash-related closures.
  4. Ground conditions: the CONRED alert level and weather alerts pages.

Be careful with screenshots. On 22 June 2025, accounts on X shared two images of a supposedly damaged runway with the claim “se cancelan todos los vuelos en aeropuerto la Aurora”. DGAC called it false. According to AGN, one photo was from Mexico, and the other showed La Aurora’s runway on 20 June 2016.

La Aurora closure and disruption log, 2020-2026

Every row comes from a DGAC statement relayed by AGN, the state news agency, unless marked otherwise. Times are Guatemala local time.

DateCauseWhat stoppedHow long / when it resumed
2020 (until 18 Sep, as announced)COVID-19 health measuresAILA operations and commercial passenger flights suspendedReopening announced for 18 September 2020
23-24 Mar 2021Ash from PacayaAir operations suspendedResumed 07:00 on 24 March after cleaning the runway, apron and taxiways
22 Jan 2023Fog, zero visibility on the active runwayGreen alert; 7 flights diverted to El Salvador (6 commercial, 1 cargo)Reported the same morning
15 Apr 2024Light aircraft skidded onto the grass beside the runway (2 people on board, unhurt)Operations suspended brieflyRunway reopened 13:30
16 Jun 2024Monsoon troughSome airlines diverted flightsAirport kept operating (AGN)
7-8 Jun 2025Short circuit in the runway, taxiway and approach lightingNo landings or take-offs from 18:05 Sat 7 June to 03:00 Sun 8 JuneAbout 9 hours; night operations restored 8 June
23 Jun 2025Planned preventive and corrective runway maintenance, plus a soil studyAll arrivals and departures needing the runway08:00 to 12:00, about 4 hours
17 Dec 2025FogPreventive pause in take-offs and landings after the last 06:00 departure; 2 flights divertedAvianca departure at 07:00 restored operations (AGN, 18 December)
26 May 2026Fog: visibility 2,000 m, ceiling about 800 ftGreen alert, instrument-rules operations, visual-rules flights diverted, mostly to El SalvadorRegular operations within a few hours; one cargo flight diverted
4-6 Aug 2026Fuego eruptive phaseASHTAM: airspace west and west-southwest of the volcano, 14,000-25,000 ftAILA kept operating, DGAC said; INGUAT said on 6 August the airport was operating without interruption

The AGN archive at agn.gt carries no La Aurora closure notice dated after the 26 May 2026 fog episode (agn.gt searches for aeropuerto La Aurora, DGAC and AILA in posts since 27 May 2026, run 9 November 2026).

Fog is the cause that repeats

Three of the ten rows are fog, and all three were in the morning: 22 January 2023, and the early hours of 17 December 2025 and 26 May 2026. Each time a green alert was declared and flights were diverted. On 26 May 2026 flights operated under instrument flight rules, and flights operating under visual rules went to their alternates. In that episode, AGN quoted the airport’s communication unit saying VFR flights were being diverted “en su mayoría, al Aeropuerto Internacional de El Salvador”. If you are meeting an early arrival, check the flight’s status before driving to Zone 13.

Power and lighting

The June 2025 closure was electrical, not structural. A short circuit took out the taxiway lights, threshold lights and the precision approach path indicators (PAPI). DGAC suspended night flights. On 8 June it restored night operations with the runway edge lights working, while technicians kept repairing the taxiway lights and the PAPI. In March 2026 AGN reported an upgrade to the backup power system. The generators now start automatically in about 30 seconds, where restoring power by hand used to take 30 to 45 minutes. A 10,000-gallon diesel tank gives the airport more than 10 hours of autonomy.

Days when the airport was open but getting there was the problem

Some advisories concern the drive to the airport, not the runway:

  • Peak holiday days. For 22 December 2025, DGAC expected around 18 flights between 11:00 and 15:00. It asked passengers to arrive even earlier than the minimum time their airline suggests for check-in.
  • City races. For the municipal 21K and 42K races on Sunday 23 August 2026, DGAC’s spokesperson Pablo Castillo said one lane would be left for vehicles. He recommended arriving about 5 hours before departure, because the 42K route put the airport in the middle of the course.

For routes and timing from the airport, see Guatemala City airport to Antigua. For terminals, parking and pickup, see the La Aurora airport guide. For what is allowed through the security checkpoint, see La Aurora carry-on rules. For eruption updates on the volcano west of the city, see the Fuego status page.

Sources

All retrieved 9 November 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Guatemala City airport open today?

La Aurora closes only when DGAC, the civil aviation authority, suspends runway operations for a specific cause; each suspension in the log on this page was announced publicly. Check DGAC’s X account (@DGAC_CIV) and your airline’s flight status on the day. The latest dated disruption in the log on this page is the fog episode of 26 May 2026, when some flights were diverted to El Salvador and normal operations resumed within hours.

Is La Aurora airport open 24 hours?

The DGAC website pages read on 9 November 2026 show no operating-hours statement for La Aurora. Night flights are part of normal operations: when a short circuit hit the runway lights on 7 June 2025, DGAC suspended night flights and, on 8 June, announced it had restored night-time operations for commercial and private flights.

Why does La Aurora airport close?

The dated closures relayed by AGN since 2020 have six causes: the COVID-19 suspension of 2020, volcanic ash from Pacaya (March 2021), fog (January 2023, December 2025, May 2026), a runway-lighting failure (June 2025) and planned runway maintenance (23 June 2025, 08:00 to 12:00). The sixth was a light aircraft that skidded off the runway on 15 April 2024, which caused a brief suspension.

Does a Fuego eruption close La Aurora?

Not by default. During Fuego’s eruptive phase in August 2026, the aviation authorities issued an ASHTAM restricting airspace west and west-southwest of the volcano between 14,000 and 25,000 feet, and DGAC said La Aurora kept operating normally. The ash closure that did happen in recent years came from Pacaya, on 23 March 2021.

What happens to my flight when there is fog at La Aurora?

In each fog episode in the log on this page, a green alert was declared and flights were diverted. On 26 May 2026 visibility dropped to 2,000 metres with a cloud ceiling around 800 feet. Flights operated under instrument flight rules, and flights operating under visual rules were sent to their alternates, mostly El Salvador’s international airport. One cargo flight diverted, and regular operations resumed a few hours later.