Nicaragua Transportation - 2023

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

National air transport system

number of registered air carriers: 1 (2020)

inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 7

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

YN

Airports

147 (2021)

Airports - with paved runways

12

note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

135

note: unpaved runways have a surface composition such as grass or packed earth and are most suited to the operation of light aircraft; unpaved runways are usually short, often less than 1,000 m (3,280 ft.) in length; airports with unpaved runways often lack facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control

Pipelines

54 km oil (2013)

Roadways

total: 23,897 km (2014)

paved: 3,346 km (2014)

unpaved: 20,551 km (2014)

Waterways

2,220 km (2011) (navigable waterways as well as the use of the large Lake Managua and Lake Nicaragua; rivers serve only the sparsely populated eastern part of the country)

Merchant marine

total: 5

by type: general cargo 1, oil tanker 1, other 3 (2022)

Ports and terminals

major seaport(s): Bluefields, Corinto

NOTE: The information regarding Nicaragua on this page is re-published from the 2023 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Nicaragua 2023 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Nicaragua 2023 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.