--- title: "Smoking at San Salvador Óscar Arnulfo Romero International Airport – SAL" canonical: "https://www.airportsmokingzones.com/el-salvador/sal-smoking-at-san-salvador-airport/" language: "en-us" description: "Smoke in the open air outside the terminal at San Salvador's Óscar Arnulfo Romero Airport (SAL), landside before security; both terminals stay smoke-free." lastmod: "2026-10-04T00:00:00Z" --- # Smoking at San Salvador Óscar Arnulfo Romero International Airport – SAL Yes, you can smoke at San Salvador Óscar Arnulfo Romero International Airport (SAL) — outdoors, in the open air outside the terminal buildings, before you clear security. The interior of both terminals and every airside gate area is smoke-free, so the landside forecourt is the only place to light up. SAL, El Salvador’s only major international gateway, sits south of San Salvador and handles around 5.3 million passengers a year through two connected terminals. ## Outside the Terminal: Before Security The only place to smoke at SAL is outdoors, landside, outside the terminal buildings before the security checkpoint. This is where departing passengers smoke before check-in and arriving passengers smoke after collecting their bags. ## Inside the Terminal and Airside: Smoke-Free Neither terminal has a smoking room past security. The airport’s three VIP lounges — the two Aeroconnections lounges airside near Gates 13 and 19, and the Avianca Sala VIP in the main terminal — are all non-smoking, so paid lounge access does not buy you a place to smoke. El Salvador’s tobacco control law names air terminals directly among the enclosed spaces where smoking is banned, and the airport’s practice matches that: nothing indoors, nothing airside, in either terminal. ## Connecting Through SAL: The Avianca Hub SAL carries a large share of Avianca’s Central American connecting traffic. For the transit passenger, the airport lists no smoking facility after security — smoke landside, outside the terminal buildings, before you clear the checkpoint that leads into the gate areas. ## E-Cigarettes and Vaping SAL publishes no separate rule for e-cigarettes. El Salvador’s Decreto 63, the regulation implementing the tobacco control law, extends the indoor smoking ban to e-cigarette use in the same enclosed spaces, including air terminals; the open-air landside option before security applies to vaping too. ## Summary | Area | Smoking | Notes | | --- | --- | --- | | Terminal 1 interior | No | Smoke-free throughout | | Terminal 2 interior | No | Smoke-free throughout | | After security / airside (both terminals) | No | No smoking room; VIP lounges are non-smoking | | Outdoor forecourt (landside) | Yes | Before security only | | Vaping / e-cigarettes | Same as smoking | Outdoor forecourt only | For El Salvador’s airport smoking rules and vaping law, see our [El Salvador airport smoking guide](https://www.airportsmokingzones.com/el-salvador/). ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Are there smoking areas at San Salvador Óscar Arnulfo Romero International Airport (SAL)? Yes — outdoors, in the open air outside the terminal buildings, landside before security. El Salvador’s tobacco control law keeps the interior of every air terminal smoke-free, so neither terminal building nor either of the airside gate areas has a smoking room. ### Is there a smoking area after security at SAL? The airside gate areas in both terminals are smoke-free, and the three VIP lounges — Aeroconnections’ two lounges and the Avianca Sala VIP — are all non-smoking. There is no indoor or airside smoking room at SAL; the outdoor area before security is the only option. ### Where can I smoke at San Salvador Airport? Outdoors, landside, outside the terminal buildings before you clear security. Once you pass through the checkpoint into Terminal 1 or Terminal 2, there is nowhere to smoke until you land at your next stop. ### Can I smoke during a layover at SAL? Smoke landside, outside the terminal buildings, before you clear the checkpoint — the airport lists no smoking facility after security. Avianca routes a large share of its Central American connecting traffic through San Salvador, so plan a smoke break before you reach the gate areas. ### Are e-cigarettes and vapes allowed at San Salvador Airport? Yes — in the open air landside, before security, the same as smoking. SAL publishes no separate rule for e-cigarettes; El Salvador’s Decreto 63, the regulation implementing the tobacco control law, extends the indoor smoking ban to e-cigarette use in the same enclosed spaces, including air terminals; the open-air landside option before security applies to vaping too. ### Can I smoke inside the terminal at San Salvador Airport? The terminal interior is smoke-free throughout, in both Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 — El Salvador’s tobacco control law bans smoking inside enclosed air terminals. Smoke outdoors instead, landside, outside the terminal buildings before security.