Yes, you can smoke at El Loa Airport (CJC) in Calama. Open-air smoking outside the terminal building, landside, is permitted under Chilean law; the airport publishes no designated smoking area, and no smoking facility after security is confirmed.
CJC is Calama’s single terminal building, sitting at 2,326 metres above sea level in the Atacama Desert’s copper-mining region.
Outside the Terminal
Open-air smoking outside the terminal building, landside, is permitted under Chile’s national smoke-free law, which bans smoking only in enclosed public places. CJC’s own site publishes no designated or signposted smoking spot, so there is no marked area to look for.
After Security
No smoking facility after security is confirmed at CJC. The upper-level departure area and its shops are smoke-free under the same national law that covers the rest of the terminal.
Vaping
Chile’s Ley 21.642, published 4 January 2024, extends the same tobacco restrictions to e-cigarettes, so vaping follows the identical rule at CJC: permitted in the open air outside the terminal, banned inside the building.
Summary
| Area | Smoking | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Indoor terminal | No | Smoke-free throughout under Chile’s national law |
| After security / airside | No | No smoking facility confirmed |
| Outdoor (landside) | Yes | Permitted in the open air outside the terminal building |
| Vaping | Same as smoking | Outdoors only, under Ley 21.642 |
Travellers connecting onward from CJC often route through Santiago Airport (SCL). For general advice on smoking during a connection, see our guide to smoking during layovers.
For Chile’s airport smoking rules and vaping law, see our Chile airport guide.