Mataveri International Airport (IPC) Guide: Isla De Pascua, Chile

Mataveri International Airport is one of the world’s most remote scheduled airports and the only air gateway to Rapa Nui / Easter Island. IPC is tiny by terminal size but enormous in travel significance: every flight affects island logistics, hotel pickups, park-entry planning, and the cost of reaching the moai.

This guide is written for travelers who want the useful details first: the real airport name, where it sits, how much to budget for transport, what to expect in the terminal, where to search for flights, and which services to arrange before landing. Prices and routes are updated for June 2026 and should be treated as practical planning ranges rather than fixed promises.

Quick airport facts

Item	Details
Full airport name	Mataveri International Airport
Short codes	IPC / SCIP
Also searched as	Easter Island Airport, Rapa Nui Airport, Isla de Pascua Airport, Hanga Roa Airport
City and country	Isla De Pascua, Chile
Practical address	Mataveri, Hanga Roa, Rapa Nui / Easter Island, Chile; coordinates -27.165411, -109.421027.
Distance to city	About 2-4 km from Hanga Roa accommodations; transfers usually take 5-10 minutes.
Updated	2026-06-15

Best for: Rapa Nui, Easter Island, Hanga Roa, moai sites, Rapa Nui National Park, and once-in-a-lifetime Chile itineraries.
Main route logic: Santiago to Easter Island on LATAM, with global connections through Santiago.
Airport style: small remote island airport with hotel pickups, taxis, car rental, park-ticket logistics, basic services, and very limited route choice.
Planning rule: book flights and lodging together; inventory is limited and expensive compared with mainland Chile.

Address and location

Use Mataveri International Airport (IPC) for flight searches and Easter Island Airport, Rapa Nui Airport, Isla de Pascua Airport, Hanga Roa Airport as backup search wording in maps, hotel messages, and taxi conversations. The practical address is:

Mataveri, Hanga Roa, Rapa Nui / Easter Island, Chile; coordinates -27.165411, -109.421027.

About 2-4 km from Hanga Roa accommodations; transfers usually take 5-10 minutes. For a serious itinerary, save the airport coordinates offline, download the city area in Google Maps or Organic Maps, and keep your hotel address in both English and the local language where possible.

How to get from the airport to the city

Option	Typical time	Approximate cost	Best use
Hotel/guesthouse pickup	5-10 min	Often free or low cost	🌺 Best normal arrival.
Taxi/private transfer to Hanga Roa	5-10 min	Often USD 10-40 by style	🚕 Good if not included.
Rental car/jeep/scooter	5-30 min pickup logistics	Often USD 60-120+/day	🚗 Best for island sites.
Walking	20-45 min by exact lodging	Free	🥾 Possible with light bags only.

Most accommodations ask for your flight number and meet arrivals with a lei or sign. Confirm this before paying for a separate transfer.

Transport tips

🧾 Confirm the fare before loading luggage, especially when there is no visible meter or posted rate.
📍 Save the exact hotel pin offline; airport drivers may know districts better than street names.
💵 Carry small local cash for the first transfer, baggage carts, snacks, or phone calls.
🌐 Install an eSIM before departure so you can message your driver immediately after landing.

Public transport and metro

Rapa Nui has no metro or airport rail link.

Where public transport exists, it is usually best for daylight arrivals with light luggage. For late flights, family travel, heavy bags, or first-time visits, a taxi, hotel transfer, or pre-booked private driver is usually worth the extra cost.

Taxi prices and transfer strategy

Taxi prices around airports are rarely as neat as an official table. Time of day, luggage, driver availability, fuel prices, and whether the destination is inside or outside the central city all matter. The ranges above are realistic planning budgets, but the best practice is simple: agree the fare before moving, keep your phone map open, and avoid changing money with random drivers.

For smoother arrival logistics:

🚕 Use official taxi ranks or a hotel-arranged driver where available.
🧳 Pre-book a transfer if you land late, carry equipment, or travel with children.
🚗 Compare rental cars before arrival with DiscoverCars if you need regional freedom.
🏨 Use Expedia to check hotels near the airport and in the city before choosing a transfer.

Airport facilities, shops, and restaurants

Small terminal with baggage, check-in, basic food/retail, taxis, car-rental/agency pickup, and Rapa Nui arrival logistics.
The runway is famous for its remote Pacific location and long Santiago sector.
Santiago flight timing controls almost everything on the island.
Rapa Nui National Park rules and visitor requirements should be checked before arrival.

The smart rule at IPC is to treat the terminal as a transfer point rather than as a shopping destination. Eat before arriving when possible, keep a refillable bottle where security rules allow, and bring a small power bank. If you have a long delay, an airport-area hotel or city hotel is usually more comfortable than waiting in the terminal.

Airlines and where the airport flies

IPC is essentially a Santiago-linked airport. Search Santiago (SCL) to Easter Island (IPC) on LATAM, then connect through Santiago for North America, Europe, Brazil, Argentina, Peru, and the rest of Chile.

LATAM is the scheduled airline to check first for IPC. Historical Tahiti/Papeete links have not been the standard scheduled option in recent years.

Cheap routes to check first

Santiago to Easter Island: the only real fare benchmark.
Book Chile domestic point-of-sale carefully and compare baggage-inclusive fares.
Use date flexibility because IPC fares can swing sharply with limited seats.

Cheap airport strategy is different from simply sorting by lowest fare. Always compare the final cost after checked baggage, seat selection, payment fees, transfer costs, and missed-connection risk. A slightly more expensive flight into the correct airport can be cheaper than a low base fare that forces a long taxi ride or overnight hotel.

Where to buy flights and hotels

Start with broad searches, then verify the exact airport code before paying. This is especially important in cities with more than one airport or with airport transitions.

Need	Recommended booking link	Why it matters
Internet on arrival	🌐 Yesim eSIM	Install before flying so maps, airline apps, WhatsApp, and hotel messages work as soon as you land.
Flights and hotels	🏨 Expedia flights and stays	Useful for comparing nearby hotels, airport overnights, and onward tickets in one search.
Tours and transfers	🎟️ Viator tours and airport transfers	Best for guided city tours, day trips, private arrival transfers, and skip-the-line activities.
Rental cars	🚗 DiscoverCars	Compare local and international rental agencies before accepting a walk-up airport rate.
Travel medical insurance	🛡️ SafetyWing	Check coverage, exclusions, and country wording before travel, especially on complex itineraries.
Support this airport-guide project	🤝 Patreon: HEDONISMcloud	Helps keep airport guides updated with fares, route changes, and city transport notes.

eSIM, internet, insurance, and car rental

🌐 Internet: install Yesim eSIM before the flight. Airport Wi-Fi can be slow, blocked by SMS verification, or unavailable exactly when you need maps.
🛡️ Insurance: compare policy wording with SafetyWing. Read exclusions for the destination, adventure activities, medical evacuation, political/security events, and pre-existing conditions.
🚗 Cars: compare vehicles on DiscoverCars before arrival. Airport counters can run out of automatic cars or quote higher walk-up rates.
🎟️ Tours: use Viator for airport transfers, city tours, day trips, and guided experiences when independent transport is inconvenient.

Practical arrival checklist

Before you fly	Why it matters
Check the IATA code on the ticket	Prevents booking a hotel or transfer for the wrong airport.
Save airline, hotel, and driver contacts offline	Messaging apps may not work until data is active.
Carry local cash	Useful for taxis, snacks, and small airport expenses.
Recheck live departures	Regional schedules can change more quickly than major-hub schedules.
Keep insurance documents accessible	Helps at medical facilities and during airline disruption.

Safety and travel notes

Respect Rapa Nui National Park rules, avoid touching or climbing archaeological sites, and insure trip interruption because missed flights can mean multi-day disruption.

The most reliable traveler is the boringly prepared traveler: documents printed, data working, transport confirmed, hotel address saved, and enough time between every moving part of the itinerary.

Short airport excursion idea

If you have a long layover or an overnight stop, choose one simple plan rather than trying to see everything. Stay close to the city center or a known hotel district, keep the return transfer booked, and avoid cutting the return to the airport too close. In smaller airports, a missed flight may mean waiting a day or more for the next practical departure.

Frequently asked questions

How far is Mataveri International Airport from Isla De Pascua?

About 2-4 km from Hanga Roa accommodations; transfers usually take 5-10 minutes.

How much is a taxi from IPC airport?

Typical taxi planning ranges are shown in the transport table above. The safest method is to confirm the price before loading luggage and to use a hotel-arranged driver when arriving late or visiting for the first time.

Are there restaurants and shops at Mataveri International Airport?

Yes, but the depth of choice depends on the airport size and operating schedule. Expect practical cafes or snack options at smaller airports and a better range at major hubs. Carry backup snacks and water for delays.

Which airlines should I check first?