Chile maintains three international airports receiving scheduled foreign flights: Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport serving Santiago, Diego Aracena International Airport in Iquique, and Presidente Carlos Ibáñez del Campo International Airport in Punta Arenas. Arturo Merino Benítez handles 98 percent of all international arrivals into Chile. The airport opened in 1967, replacing Los Cerrillos Airport, and underwent terminal expansion in 2020 that raised capacity to 30 million annual passengers. The facility sits 15 kilometers northwest of Santiago's Plaza de Armas in the commune of Pudahuel at an elevation of 474 meters. Two runways orient 17L/35R at 3,748 meters and 17R/35L at 3,800 meters. All international flights arrive at Terminal 2. The airport code is SCL.
Immigration processing for foreign nationals occurs before baggage claim. Chile operates an electronic customs declaration system accessed via web browser or the Chile Customs mobile application. Travelers complete the declaration before arrival or at airport kiosks positioned after immigration but before baggage belts. The system generates a QR code. Agricultural inspection follows baggage claim. Officers examine all luggage using X-ray machines and hand searches. Chile prohibits fresh fruits, vegetables, seeds, meat products, dairy products, honey, and soil. Penalties for undeclared agricultural items begin at 200,000 Chilean pesos, approximately 210 US dollars at 2024 exchange rates. The agriculture checkpoint precedes final exit doors.
Currency exchange operates in Terminal 2 arrivals at three locations: Global Exchange counters before and after customs, offering rates approximately 8 to 12 percent below mid-market, and Banco de Chile ATMs dispensing Chilean pesos directly from foreign accounts. ATMs provide superior exchange rates, typically within 2 to 4 percent of mid-market depending on issuing bank foreign transaction fees. The maximum single withdrawal ranges from 200,000 to 400,000 pesos depending on machine. Most ATMs charge no local surcharge for foreign cards. Banco de Chile, BancoEstado, Santander, and Scotiabank machines appear throughout the arrivals hall. Credit cards see broad acceptance in Santiago, but Chilean businesses add a recargo of 3 to 5 percent for credit card payments while debit transactions process at listed prices.
Three transport methods connect the airport to central Santiago:bus, shared shuttle, and taxi. The Centropuerto bus departs from outside Terminal 2 arrivals every ten minutes between 0500 and 2345. Travel time to Los Héroes metro station runs 25 to 40 minutes depending on traffic. The fare costs 2,100 pesos, paid in cash to the driver or via contactless card at the bus door. Vehicles display "Centropuerto" on the windshield. From Los Héroes, metro Line 1 connects to most Santiago destinations. Turbus and other companies operate competing airport bus routes with similar frequencies and fares, stopping at Pajaritos metro station on Line 1 or Universidad de Santiago on Line 6.
Shared shuttle vans called Transfer offer door-to-door service. Counters sit inside Terminal 2 arrivals near the exit doors. Passengers book seats for specific Santiago destinations. Vans depart when full, typically six to eight passengers. Fares range from 7,000 to 10,000 pesos depending on destination distance from the airport. Travel time to central neighborhoods like Providencia or Las Condes runs 35 to 60 minutes. The vans make multiple stops to discharge passengers. Companies include Transvip and Transfer Delfos.
Official taxis use a metered system called taxímetro. The meter displays pesos. Airport taxis queue outside Terminal 2 arrivals at a dedicated rank with a dispatcher who assigns the next vehicle. All legitimate airport taxis display orange license plates beginning with the letters "TA." The dispatcher provides a ticket showing the taxi license number. Fares from the airport to downtown Santiago average 18,000 to 24,000 pesos, reaching 30,000 pesos for eastern neighborhoods like Las Condes or Vitacura. A surcharge of approximately 500 to 700 pesos applies for trips originating at the airport. Tipping is not customary in Chilean taxis. The ride to Plaza de Armas takes 25 to 50 minutes depending on traffic and time of day.
Ride-hailing applications Uber, Cabify, and Didi operate at Santiago airport. Chilean regulations prohibit these vehicles from using the official taxi rank. Drivers message pickup instructions after booking. Most direct passengers to departures level one floor above arrivals or to parking structures. Police periodically enforce against ride-hailing pickups, creating variable wait times. Fares range from 12,000 to 22,000 pesos for central Santiago destinations, less than metered taxis but subject to surge pricing during peak hours. Payment occurs through the application.
Car rental counters for Europcar, Hertz, Avis, Budget, Econorent, and Rosselot operate in Terminal 2 arrivals. Chilean law requires drivers to carry a passport, home country driver's license, and International Driving Permit. Some rental companies accept the home license alone, but police enforce the IDP requirement during traffic stops with fines starting at 50,000 pesos. Minimum age ranges from 21 to 25 depending on company and vehicle category. Rental rates for compact vehicles begin around 35,000 pesos per day including mandatory insurance. Chile requires third-party liability insurance by law. Credit cards must match the name on the driver's license. Santiago traffic moves slowly during morning rush from 0730 to 0930 and evening rush from 1800 to 2000. The Autopista Central toll highway connects the airport to downtown with electronic toll collection. Rental cars include a TAG transponder for automatic toll payment added to the rental bill.
Metro de Santiago does not connect directly to the airport. Plans for Line 7 extension to Arturo Merino Benítez have circulated since 2018 with no construction start date announced as of 2024. The nearest metro station is Pajaritos on Line 1, reached by airport bus.
SIM cards for Chilean mobile networks sell at Terminal 2 arrivals from Entel, Movistar, Claro, and WOM kiosks located after customs. Prepaid tourist SIM packages include 10 to 30 gigabytes of data for 10,000 to 20,000 pesos. Activation requires a passport. Chilean carriers use LTE bands 2, 4, 7, and 28. Coverage in Santiago is comprehensive. Networks reach most cities but thin in rural Patagonia and the Atacama Desert interior. WOM typically offers the lowest prices. Entel provides the most extensive coverage in remote areas.
Chile operates on Chile Standard Time, UTC-3, year-round since 2019 when the country eliminated daylight saving time. Between 1968 and 2019, Chile observed daylight saving with clocks advancing one hour during summer months, typically September to April, but dates varied annually. The current fixed UTC-3 aligns Chile with Argentina and Uruguay and three hours behind Coordinated Universal Time.
Santiago airport arrivals hall includes a Sernatur tourist information desk operated by Chile's national tourism service. Staff provide maps and answer questions about Santiago and Chile. The desk opens 0900 to 1900 daily. Printed maps of Santiago metro and bus systems are available free. The desk does not book accommodation or tours.
Banking hours in Chile run Monday to Friday 0900 to 1400. Banks close on weekends and national holidays. ATMs operate 24 hours. Exchange houses called casas de cambio keep longer hours, typically 0900 to 1900 Monday through Friday and 0900 to 1400 Saturday. Rates at airport exchange counters run 8 to 12 percent worse than casas de cambio in central Santiago. The best rates appear at exchange houses along Agustinas street near the Bolsa de Comercio or on Huérfanos street.