Miami Airport Commits Entire Runway to Hosting Every Exiled Latin American Politician Simultaneously
Opa Locka officials convert the executive airport into a rotating reception hall for political exiles, with a waiting list stretching into next year.
Opa Locka Executive Airport in Miami has converted its main apron into a permanent reception area for politicians arriving from Latin America in self-imposed exile, airport authorities announced on Wednesday, adding that the facility now operates in three shifts to keep pace with demand.
The airport's director of arrivals said the decision followed a single landing that, in his words, «showed us we had been thinking too small». Ground crews have since laid out 212 numbered parking bays, each sized for a private jet and each paired with a folding table, a flag holder and a printed welcome card in Spanish and Portuguese. Staff say the cards are reviewed by a committee before every shift.
Miami-Dade transport planners have responded by rerouting the Palmetto Expressway through a new lane reserved exclusively for motorcades. Traffic engineers describe the lane as «ready for any number of motorcades». Local restaurants near the airport have adopted a shared menu of empanadas and bottled water so that exiles arriving at odd hours are not kept waiting.
Airport officials said a rehearsal for the airport's first full-capacity arrival day is scheduled for next week, in which staff will practise stepping off a plane in the correct order of seniority. Officials declined to say how the order is determined, but said a copy of it would be placed in every welcome folder.
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