Brazil's Airport Count: 2500 And Counting?

Brazil has a highly developed aviation infrastructure, which is crucial given its large geographical size and economic importance in Latin America. The country boasts around 2500 airports, including both public and private aerodromes.

The busiest airport in Brazil is the São Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport, which served around 43 million passengers in 2019. Other major airports include the Brasília International Airport, the Viracopos International Airport, and the Belo Horizonte International Airport. These airports offer both domestic and international flights, connecting Brazil to the world.

The development of Brazilian airports has not gone unnoticed, with investments being made to improve infrastructure and accommodate the growing number of passengers.

Brazil's busiest airports

Brazil has around 2500 airports, including both public and private aerodromes, as well as helidecks and helipads. Here is a list of Brazil's busiest airports by passenger traffic:

• São Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport (also known as Governador André Franco Montoro International Airport) is the largest and busiest airport in Brazil. It served around 43 million passengers in 2019, making it one of the most important air transportation hubs in South America.
• Congonhas-São Paulo Airport
• Brasília International Airport
• Rio de Janeiro-Galeão International Airport
• Santos Dumont Airport
• Deputado Luís Eduardo Magalhães International Airport
• Tancredo Neves International Airport
• Salgado Filho International Airport
• Guararapes-Gilberto Freyre International Airport
• Afonso Pena International Airport
• Pinto Martins International Airport
• Eduardo Gomes International Airport
• Hercílio Luz International Airport
• Eurico de Aguiar Salles Airport
• Val de Cães International Airport
• Augusto Severo International Airport
• Santa Genoveva Airport
• Marechal Rondon Airport
• Zumbi dos Palmares International Airport
• Viracopos International Airport
• Belo Horizonte International Airport
• Salvador International Airport
• Recife/Guararapes–Gilberto Freyre International Airport
• Salgado Filho Porto Alegre International Airport
• Fortaleza International Airport
• Foz do Iguaçu International Airport
• Campo Grande International Airport
• Porto Seguro Airport
• Ministro Victor Konder International Airport
• Governador Jorge Teixeira de Oliveira International Airport
• São José do Rio Preto Airport
• Sílvio Name Júnior Regional Airport
• Ilhéus Jorge Amado Airport
• Macapá International Airport
• Maestro Wilson Fonseca Airport
• Senador Nilo Coelho Airport
• Boa Vista International Airport
• Rio Branco International Airport
• Fernando de Noronha Airport
• Glauber Rocha Airport
• Vitória da Conquista
• Sinop Airport

International airports in Brazil

Brazil has a total of around 2500 airports, including both public and private aerodromes.

• São Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport
• Brasília International Airport
• Viracopos International Airport
• São Paulo–Congonhas Airport
• Recife/Guararapes–Gilberto Freyre International Airport
• Salgado Filho Porto Alegre International Airport
• Salvador International Airport
• Galeão International Airport
• Afonso Pena International Airport
• Belém/Val-de-Cans International Airport
• Goiânia International Airport
• Marechal Rondon International Airport
• Eduardo Gomes International Airport
• Eurico de Aguiar Salles Airport
• Zumbi dos Palmares International Airport
• Greater Natal International Airport
• Porto Seguro Airport
• Ministro Victor Konder International Airport
• Foz do Iguaçu International Airport
• Marechal Cunha Machado International Airport
• Campo Grande International Airport
• Presidente Castro Pinto International Airport
• Governador Jorge Teixeira de Oliveira International Airport
• São José do Rio Preto Airport
• Ilhéus Jorge Amado Airport
• Macapá International Airport
• Sílvio Name Júnior Regional Airport
• Juazeiro do Norte Airport
• Maestro Wilson Fonseca Airport
• Boa Vista International Airport
• Rio Branco International Airport
• Fernando de Noronha Airport
• Glauber Rocha Airport
• Vitória da Conquista
• Santos Dumont Airport
• Rio de Janeiro/Galeão International Airport
• Cabo Frio International Airport
• Cruzeiro do Sul International Airport
• Mal. Rondon International Airport
• Afonso Pena International Airport
• Hercílio Luz International Airport
• Pinto Martins International Airport
• Cataratas International Airport
• Santa Genoveva International Airport
• Min. Victor Konder International Airport
• Gov. Aluízio Alves International Airport
• Gov. Jorge Teixeira de Oliveira International Airport
• Guararapes–Gilberto Freyre International Airport
• Galeão–Antonio Carlos Jobim International Airport
• Santos Dumont Airport
• Porto Seguro International Airport
• Tabatinga International Airport
• Eurico de Aguiar Salles International Airport
• Sílvio Name Júnior Regional Airport
• Sen. Nilo Coelho International Airport
• Eduardo Gomes International Airport
• Vitória da Conquista

Domestic airports in Brazil

Brazil has a vast network of airports, with 493 public and 4,789 private certified aerodromes, as well as 511 helidecks and helipads that are open to the public.

• Tancredo Neves International Airport
• Viracopos International Airport
• Campo Grande International Airport
• Governador Valadares Airport
• Eduardo Gomes International Airport
• Santos Dumont Airport
• Congonhas-São Paulo Airport
• São Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport
• Brasília International Airport
• Rio de Janeiro-Galeão International Airport
• Salgado Filho International Airport
• Guararapes-Gilberto Freyre International Airport
• Afonso Pena International Airport
• Val de Cães International Airport
• Hercílio Luz International Airport
• Eurico de Aguiar Salles Airport
• Marechal Rondon Airport
• Greater Natal International Airport
• Foz do Iguaçu International Airport
• Ministro Victor Konder International Airport
• Governador Jorge Teixeira de Oliveira International Airport
• Sílvio Name Júnior Regional Airport
• São José do Rio Preto Airport
• Ilhéus Jorge Amado Airport
• Macapá International Airport
• Maestro Wilson Fonseca Airport
• Senador Nilo Coelho Airport
• Boa Vista International Airport
• Glauber Rocha Airport
• Vitória da Conquista Airport
• Fernando de Noronha Airport
• Sinop Airport
• Belo Horizonte/Pampulha – Carlos Drummond de Andrade Airport
• Sílvio Name Júnior Regional Airport
• Campo de Marte Airport
• Congonhas–Dep. Freitas Nobre Airport
• Gov. André Franco Montoro International Airport
• São Paulo Catarina International Executive Airport
• Sen. Eunice Michiles Airport
• São Raimundo Nonato – Serra da Capivara Regional Airport
• Pres. João Figueiredo Airport
• Luciano de Arruda Coelho Regional Airport
• Cel. Virgílio Távora Lima Airport
• Bertram Luiz Leupolz State Airport
• Adolino Bedin Regional Airport
• Tabatinga International Airport
• Kemil Kumaira Airport
• Sen. Petrônio Portella Airport
• Luiz dal Canalle Filho Airport
• Plínio Alarcom Airport
• Tucuruí Regional Airport
• José Vicente Faria Lima State Airport
• Gastão Madeira State Airport
• Mário de Almeida Franco Airport
• Orlando de Carvalho Airport
• Una-Comandatuba Airport
• Maj. Brig. Trompowsky Airport
• Ângelo Ponzoni Airport
• Brig. Camarão Airport
• Eurico de Aguiar Salles International Airport
• Vitória da Conquista Airport
• Domingos Pignatari State Airport
• Xinguara Municipal Airport

Airports in São Paulo

São Paulo, Brazil's largest city and a world financial powerhouse, has two main airports: Guarulhos and Congonhas. These airports, while crowded and irksome, are the major hubs of virtually every Brazilian airline.

São Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport

The primary international airport serving São Paulo, commonly known as Guarulhos Airport, is the largest airport in Brazil and one of the largest in the world. It is located 25km southeast of São Paulo's city centre and is the busiest airport in Brazil in terms of transported passengers, aircraft operations, and cargo handled. It is the second busiest airport in Latin America by passenger traffic, with 41.3 million passengers in 2023, making it one of the fifty busiest on the planet. The airport has three runways and four passenger terminals, with Terminal 1 being the smallest and simplest, handling only domestic flights. Terminal 2 is the oldest and largest, handling the majority of domestic flights and some international flights. Terminal 3 is the newest and most modern, handling international flights and long-haul intercontinental traffic. The airport is served by several airlines, including LATAM Brasil, LATA Chile, Gol Transportes Aéreos, Emirates, and American Airlines, among others.

São Paulo–Congonhas Airport

Congonhas Airport is located just 8km from downtown São Paulo and handles domestic flights only. It is the second busiest airport in Brazil, handling over 21 million passengers. The airport serves as a hub for the state carrier LATAM Brasil and low-cost airlines like Gol Airlines and Azul Brazilian Airlines. Congonhas Airport is known for its well-kept main terminal building, which maintains a touch of the glamour of early air travel, including a stunning mural of Brazil on the departures level.

Airports in Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro has two airports: Santos Dumont Airport (SDU) and Rio de Janeiro–Galeão International Airport (GIG).

Santos Dumont Airport (SDU)

Santos Dumont Airport is located on Guanabara Bay, just 2 kilometres from Rio de Janeiro's city centre, making it the closest airport to the city centre. The airport mostly serves domestic and budget flights, with airlines such as Avianca, Azul, GOL, LATAM and Passaredo. It has two terminals, with Terminal 1 not handling any flights. The airport serves about 9 million passengers per year.

Rio de Janeiro–Galeão International Airport (GIG)

Rio de Janeiro–Galeão International Airport is the main and largest airport in Rio de Janeiro, serving over 16 million passengers per year. The airport is located 20 kilometres from the city centre and is served by both local and international airlines, including Aerolíneas Argentinas, Air France, American Airlines, Azul, British Airways, Lufthansa, and United Airlines.

Getting to the City Centre

The closest airport to the city centre is Santos Dumont Airport, with a variety of transportation options available. To get to the centre by metro, you can take the BRT (bus rapid transit system) from the airport to the Vincente de Carvalho metro station, and from there take the L2 metro to the Presidente Vargas station. This is the cheapest option, but not the quickest.

Frequently asked questions