Bolivia is characterized by an extremely varied terrain including rugged mountains, high plateaus, low valleys and tropical forests; this topography has had a negative effect on national transportation, making communication difficult between elevated and low cities along with isolated tropical towns. Aviation is an important means of access for isolated communities in this environment. Bolivian air transport started in 1916, when the Military School of Aviation (Spanish: Escuela Militar de Aviación) was formed in La Paz. In 1929, the local La Paz Government first planned the construction of an airport; however, it was not officially inaugurated until the 1960s. In 1974, the airport was reconstructed, a new terminal was built, and its facilities were enlarged and modernized. Until 1999, the airport had John F. Kennedy (JFK) as its official name, although in practice this name was never publicly used. In that year, before the pressure of different sectors, by means of the Law 1944 during the government of Hugo Banzer Suárez, the airport changed its name officially to El Alto International Airport. In 2006, SABSA (Spanish: Servicios Aeroportuarios Bolivianos S.A.) invested nearly 2.3 million dollars in the reconstruction of the main terminal. The new terminal consists of the enlargement, reshaping and construction of the baggage claim room, the check-in area and the corridor to the air bridges. The administrative offices of AASANA as well as the main hall and the international area were completely modernized.