Terminal T1 hosts 5 airlines. You'll find 11 dining options, 3 lounges, 11 shops here.
Immigration here can hit 2.5 hours, so plan your landing
Rafael Núñez International Airport’s single passenger terminal, T1, handles both domestic and international flights for Avianca, LATAM Colombia, Viva Air Colombia, Copa Airlines, and American Airlines. Layout is straightforward: one check-in hall, a split between domestic and international security, and a compact pier of gates. Only about 20% of enplanements are international, so the domestic side feels busier on most days, even though reviews mention an “extremely crowded” feel across the whole building.
Queues of 300 at immigration are not rare
On arrival from the US or Panama, go straight from the jet bridge to immigration; several reviews mention a “queue of about 300 people” and waits of up to 2.5 hours to clear passport control. Customs after baggage claim tends to move faster, but still expect at least 20–30 minutes at peak bank and holiday times. On departure, the same terminal T1 serves both domestic and international; outbound immigration for international flights is usually quicker, with some flyers reporting only 30 minutes from check-in to airside on a normal weekday morning.
Kokoriko, Presto, and Subway anchor the quick-food lineup
Food options in T1 skew fast and familiar. Kokoriko serves fried chicken combos and arepas at prices that sit around COP 25,000–35,000. Presto adds local-style burgers and fries in the same price band, while Subway offers footlong sandwiches if you want something predictable before a 5–6 hour American Airlines flight to Miami. Dog and Novaventa fill in with hot dogs and packaged snacks, and Cravings sells grab-and-go items you can carry to the gate in under 5 minutes.
Coffee usually means Juan Valdez before security
For caffeine, Juan Valdez in T1 pours standard tintos and lattes, with most drinks in the COP 8,000–14,000 range. If you land at 07:00 and have a domestic hop to Bogotá with Avianca, this is an easy stop between baggage claim and the domestic security line. Inside security, Cupertino Bar and Chantilly Express handle basic espresso, beer, and pastries, while Aerodelicias and Mr Bono Station cover sweet snacks and sandwiches for passengers already past the checks.
Three lounges: Heroica, Avianca VIP Room, and a generic VIP Room
T1 has the Heroica VIP Lounge, the Avianca VIP Room, and a third space simply branded VIP Room, all airside. Avianca’s lounge mainly serves Avianca business-class and elite flyers on routes like CTG–BOG, with typical hours from early morning departures around 04:30 until the last evening wave. Heroica VIP Lounge and VIP Room usually accept common lounge programs and walk-up payments around the equivalent of USD 30–40, giving you Wi‑Fi, simple hot food, and showers on the international side before longer flights.
Duty Free Americas sits right after international security
Once you clear the international checkpoint, Duty Free Americas appears almost immediately, with liquor, perfume, and chocolates priced in USD. Beyond that, El Market Colombia and Mini92 sell last-minute snacks and travel items, while Maz Joyería, TL Joyas, Bella Arcadia, Loto del Sur, Coco Santa, Inkanta, Montblanc, and Pura Droguería scatter along the short pier of gates. If you’re boarding a Copa flight to Panama City, you’ll walk past at least three retail fronts in under 150 meters from security to your gate.
Watch out for crowding at peak sun-and-sand bank times
Reviews repeatedly call the terminal “extremely crowded,” especially on weekend afternoons and during December–January holiday peaks. Lines for Kokoriko or Presto can stretch 10–15 people deep, and seating near the gates used by American Airlines and Copa often fills completely an hour before departure. Build a 3-hour buffer for inbound immigration and a solid 2-hour cushion for outbound international flights; for a morning Avianca or LATAM hop within Colombia, 90 minutes usually works if you already checked in online.
One final tip: clear formalities first, then hunt for food
If you land on an international flight that touches down around 13:00–17:00, expect crowds and go straight to immigration and customs before you think about bathrooms, ATMs, or coffee. On departure from T1, eat or grab coffee only after you’re past security and, if needed, outbound immigration; lines there can swing from 5 minutes to 40 minutes without warning, and you don’t want your last 20 minutes before an American or Copa boarding call stuck in the wrong queue.