Connecting at Santiago de Chile airport

Connection time calculator, immigration and security, and how to move between terminals at SCL.

How connections work at SCL

At Santiago de Chile airport, passengers connecting between two international flights can usually stay in the transit area without going through immigration. If you connect from an international to a domestic flight, you enter the country here: you go through immigration and collect and re-check your bags.

The airport has 2 terminals or concourses (Terminal 1 (domestic), Terminal 2 (international)). They are not connected after security: changing means going through security again.

Connecting passengers go through a transfer security screening.

Connection time calculator

Is your layover at SCL long enough? Pick your connection and get an estimate with the times of this airport.

Terminals / concourses: Terminal 1 (domestic), Terminal 2 (international)

Getting between them: Covered walkway across the central plaza, about 10 to 15 minutes on foot

Terminal 1 handles domestic flights and Terminal 2 international flights. They face each other across a central plaza; you cannot stay airside when switching between domestic and international.

  • International to domestic: clear immigration and customs in Terminal 2, collect your bags even if they are tagged through, re-check them and go through domestic security. Allow at least 3 hours.
  • International-to-international transit passengers usually stay in Terminal 2 with bags checked through; allow about 2 hours.
  • January and February are peak months: add extra margin.

Estimate based on typical times at this airport, not your airline's official minimum connection time. Immigration and security lines change with the time of day and season. On a single ticket, the airline must rebook you if you miss the connection; on separate tickets, it does not.

Sources: thetraveler.org.

Times are estimates: always check with your airline.

More about SCL

Airport guide Departures Arrivals