🛫 International Pier

Airlines: Avianca (the dominant carrier — left Star Alliance in 2024, now independent), American, Copa, JetBlue, Latam, Iberia (seasonal), Air Europa, Wingo (regional Latin), Aeroméxico, plus the new Avianca permanent Orlando daily that replaced Spirit’s defunct service from 2 May 2026.

Concourse: International gates 1–9. Plaza Premium-operated Avianca Lounge accessible airside.

🛩️ Domestic Pier

Airlines: Avianca (Bogotá / Cali / Cartagena / Barranquilla / San Andrés frequent shuttles), Latam Colombia, EasyFly, Wingo (LCC, Caribbean coast), Satena (Pacific / Amazon regional). Boarding-pass terminal label almost always says “Doméstico” for these.

Concourse: Domestic gates 10–22. Avianca Sala VIP and The Lounge Medellín live here for domestic departures.

Visa: Most EU/UK/US/CA/AU Visa-Free 90 Days

EU, UK, US, Canada, Japan, Korea, Australia, NZ — visa-free entry up to 90 days, extendable in-country to 180. Other nationalities (notably some Asian and African) need an advance visa from a Colombian embassy. Verify at Cancillería de Colombia.

Currency: COP & the $10,000 Threshold

Declare amounts over $10,000 USD equivalent on arrival/departure. Colombian Pesos (COP) trade at ~3,800–4,200 COP per USD in 2026. 50,000 and 100,000 COP notes common. ATMs at MDE arrivals are reliable — Bancolombia, Davivienda, Banco de Bogotá. Withdraw 600,000–800,000 COP minimum to amortise withdrawal fees.

Customs Reality

Drone declaration required. Cigarettes 200, alcohol 2L. Coca leaves & tea legal in Colombia, illegal across borders — don’t carry. Outbound, save your initial COP exchange receipt for currency conversion math at customs (rare but happens for stays over 60 days).

⭐ Combuses Airport Bus — The 15,000 COP Default

The Combuses official airport bus runs from MDE arrivals (curbside, signposted) to San Diego terminal in Medellín (Poblado-adjacent, walking distance to the El Poblado metro station). Tickets at the Combuses kiosk inside arrivals, cash COP only. 24/7 operation, departures every 30–45 minutes. Journey ~1 hour off-peak.

🚐 Colectivo Minivans + Official White Taxi

Colectivos are shared minivans that depart when full from the kerbside, dropping near specific Medellín neighbourhoods (Poblado, Centro, Laureles). 17,000–20,000 COP, slightly more flexible than Combuses but requires patience for the van to fill. The official white taxi rank is inside arrivals — flat rates posted by zone, ticket issued at the counter.

📱 Uber / DiDi / Cabify / inDrive — The Grey-Area Apps

All four apps operate at MDE in 2026 but in a regulatory grey area: rideshare is technically restricted at Colombian airports, and police periodically harass app drivers in the kerbside arrivals zone. The standard workaround drivers request is a meet on the Departures level (one floor up from arrivals) — quieter, less enforcement. Pickups on arrivals are possible but expect awkward circling.

✨ Avianca Sala VIP (Domestic terminal · Plaza Premium-operated)

If you eat once at MDE, eat bandeja paisa — the regional flag dish at El Corral or Crepes & Waffles in the domestic concourse, ~28,000–38,000 COP. The plate: red beans, white rice, fried egg, plantain, chorizo paisa, chicharrón (pork belly), arepa paisa, avocado, ground beef. This is Antioquia’s mountain-farmer fuel, and Medellín is its capital. Skip the airport McDonald’s — bandeja paisa eaten at MDE is the most authentic version most international travellers will encounter.

The arepa paisa (Antioquia/Medellín style) is thicker, butter-rich, often grilled with cheese inside — distinctly different from the thinner, drier arepa costeña of Colombia’s Caribbean coast. Try both at the airport food court (~6,000–12,000 COP each). Empanadas paisas (deep-fried corn-flour pockets, beef-and-potato filling) at any kiosk, ~3,000–5,000 COP — the universal Antioquian street snack.

Antioquia is the heart of Colombia’s coffee growing belt — Jericó, Salgar, and the rest of southwest Antioquia are world-class single-origin terroirs. Juan Valdez Café at the airport serves a credible tinto (small black) at 4,000–6,000 COP. Buy whole-bean Antioquian coffee at the duty-free — 35,000–60,000 COP per kg, vs $25+ per pound in Western supermarkets. Take 2 kg home; sealed packs travel well in checked baggage.

Take-home picks: Antioquian single-origin coffee (Caturra, La Palma at duty-free), Aguardiente Antioqueño (the regional anise liqueur, ~$10–15 per bottle airside — distinctly more anise-forward than the rival Cundinamarca aguardientes), Colombian chocolate (Casa Luker, Santander). Avoid airport-priced coca leaves or coca tea — illegal at most departure customs even though sold openly inside Colombia.

Spirit ceased global operations at 03:00 on 2 May 2026, stranding ~10,000 Colombian passengers. Spirit’s MDE–FLL, MDE–MIA, and MDE–MCO (Orlando) routes are gone. Avianca and Latam activated rebooking through 16 May; Avianca’s temporary MDE–Orlando service has been converted to a permanent daily flight as the structural replacement. Expect MDE–US fares 20–25% above pre-collapse baseline through summer 2026 — Spirit was the price floor on US–Colombia. Book early or fly into MIA/FLL via Avianca / Copa / JetBlue codeshares.

Medellín sits in the Aburrá valley at ~1,500 m, in a thermal sweet spot — 16–28°C year-round, no real winter, no real summer. Locals call it the “ciudad de la eterna primavera.” Two wetter shoulder seasons: April–May and September–November (afternoon thunderstorms, brief). Dry seasons: December–February and June–August. MDE/Rionegro plateau runs 4–6°C cooler than the city — pack a light jacket for the airport even on summer mornings.

The Rionegro plateau where MDE sits is at 2,142 m / 7,027 ft — high enough that Avianca and Latam impose payload restrictions on hot afternoon take-offs (thin air = less lift). But Medellín itself is at 1,500 m — below the soroche threshold most tourists notice. Altitude sickness is rare in Medellín, unlike Bogotá. The descent from MDE into the city actually helps acclimatisation if you’re continuing on to higher Andean cities later.

Comuna 13’s graffiti and outdoor escalators are now Medellín’s #1 tourist activity — once one of the most violent barrios on Earth (Operation Orión 2002), now a creative-community showcase reachable via the San Javier Metro + Aurora Metrocable. Don’t go alone if you don’t speak Spanish — book a guided tour (English, ~$15–25 USD, multiple operators leave from El Poblado). The Metrocable system (six gondola lines as of 2026) is Medellín’s genuinely transformational urban infrastructure — ride Line K to Santo Domingo for the view, included in the standard 3,500 COP metro fare.

Medellín’s narrative locally is “Medellín milagro” — most-violent-city-on-Earth (1991) → Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize finalist territory. Escobar tourism (the cemetery, the prison La Catedral, the Hacienda Nápoles route) is increasingly frowned upon by paisas — the city has fought hard to escape the narco-narrative. If you go, go discreetly. Far better narratives for the same itinerary slot: Comuna 13, the Botero Plaza in Centro, the Museo de Antioquia, the Pueblito Paisa hilltop, or — in early August — Feria de las Flores (the silleteros parade is iconic).

Claro, Movistar, and Tigo sell tourist SIMs at MDE arrivals kiosks. ~25,000–50,000 COP for a 30-day plan with 10 GB. Show passport at activation. EU roaming via your home plan does NOT cover Colombia. Buy local SIM or eSIM via Airalo / Holafly. 5G coverage is widespread across El Poblado, Laureles, Centro, and most of the Aburrá valley; spotty above the Comuna 13 escalators.

Medellín tap water is treated to high standards and is widely safe to drink — same as Bogotá. Free refill stations exist at most MDE airside restrooms. Tipping: 10% “propina” service charge often added to restaurant bills automatically — Colombian law requires the server to ask whether you accept. Otherwise, 10% is the norm. Uber/DiDi/Beat tips optional. Skycap/baggage handlers at MDE expect 5,000–10,000 COP per bag.