
Viracopos International Airport (IATA: VCP, ICAO: SBKP) is an international airport serving the municipality of Campinas, in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. The airport is one of three major facilities serving the wider São Paulo region, along with Guarulhos and Congonhas. The airport is named after the neighbourhood in which it is located, and its IATA airport code is VCP.
Characteristics | Values |
---|---|
Name | Viracopos International Airport |
Location | Campinas, Brazil |
IATA Code | VCP |
ICAO Code | SBKP |
City Code | CPQ |
Airport Operators | Aeroportos Brasil, TPI - Triunfo Participações e Investimentos SA, UTC Participações SA, Egis Airport Operation |
Airlines | Azul, TAP Portugal, Gol |
Nearby Airports | São Paulo–Guarulhos International Airport, São Paulo–Congonhas Airport, Aeroporto Internacional de São José dos Campos |
What You'll Learn
- Viracopos International Airport is located in the municipality of Campinas, in the state of São Paulo, Brazil
- The airport's IATA code is VCP, and its ICAO code is SBKP
- The airport is one of three major facilities serving the wider São Paulo region, along with Guarulhos and Congonhas
- Viracopos is the fifth busiest airport in Brazil and is dominated by the carrier Azul
- The airport has been the site of several aviation incidents, including crashes and a disappearance
Viracopos International Airport is located in the municipality of Campinas, in the state of São Paulo, Brazil
Viracopos International Airport (IATA: VCP, ICAO: SBKP) is located in the municipality of Campinas, in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. The airport is also referred to as São Paulo/Campinas or São Paulo/Viracopos. The airport code VCP is used for flights advertised as services from São Paulo, while the code CPQ is used for services from Campinas.
Viracopos International Airport is one of three major airports serving the wider São Paulo region, along with Guarulhos and Congonhas. It is named after the neighbourhood in which it is located, Viracopos, which means "turn (or overturn) glasses" in Portuguese. The name is said to originate from an incident in the early 20th century where a misunderstanding between the parish priest and residents of the neighbourhood led to excessive drinking and quarrels, with festival booths being overturned.
The airport was originally a simple airfield built during the 1932 Constitutionalist Revolution in São Paulo. In 1946, shortly after World War II, the first runway was paved, and in the following years, the airport began to take shape with the construction of the first hangar in 1948 and the terminal in 1950. During the 1950s, it started being used by cargo companies. In 1960, the runway was improved to accommodate the first generation of intercontinental jet planes, and the airport was officially inaugurated on October 19, 1960, the same day it received its first international flight.
After 1960, Viracopos became the primary international airport for São Paulo as the runway of São Paulo-Congonhas Airport was too short for intercontinental jet planes. However, due to its distance of nearly 100 km from São Paulo, it was very inconvenient for passengers and airlines, leading to limited direct international passenger service. This changed in 1985 with the opening of São Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport, and Viracopos entered a period of stagnation with the loss of most domestic and international flights to Guarulhos and Congonhas.
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The airport's IATA code is VCP, and its ICAO code is SBKP
The airport with the IATA code VCP and ICAO code SBKP is Viracopos International Airport, also known as Campinas Viracopos Airport. It is located in the municipality of Campinas, in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Viracopos International is one of three major airports serving the wider São Paulo region, along with Guarulhos and Congonhas.
Viracopos International Airport is named after the neighbourhood of Viracopos, where it is located. The name Viracopos means "turn (or overturn) glasses" in Portuguese, which can be metaphorically understood as drinking a large amount of alcohol at once. According to one version of the story, the name originated in the early 20th century during an annual fair when a misunderstanding between the parish priest and the residents led to excessive drinking and quarrels, resulting in the festival booths being overturned.
The airport code for Viracopos International is VCP, which is used in airline reservation systems to distinguish it from other airports in the area. The specific city code of Campinas is CPQ, and while both VCP and CPQ are sometimes used interchangeably, there is a distinction between them. Flights filed with the code VCP are displayed as services from São Paulo, while flights filed with the code CPQ are displayed as services from Campinas specifically.
Viracopos International Airport has a significant history in terms of aviation incidents. Notably, in 1961, an Aerolíneas Argentinas flight from Campinas-Viracopos to Port of Spain crashed after taking off, resulting in the deaths of all 12 crew members and 40 passengers on board. In 1976, a Serv-Jet Learjet 25 crashed during an instrument approach to the runway in heavy rain, killing all seven occupants. In 1980, a VOTEC Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander aircraft disappeared near the airport during a survey mission, and the aircraft was never found.
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The airport is one of three major facilities serving the wider São Paulo region, along with Guarulhos and Congonhas
The airport code VCP refers to Viracopos International Airport, also known as Viracopos/Campinas International Airport or São Paulo/Viracopos. It is located in the municipality of Campinas, in the state of São Paulo, Brazil.
Viracopos International Airport is one of three major airports serving the wider São Paulo region. The other two are Guarulhos and Congonhas airports. All three airports are part of a multiple airport system centred around the city of São Paulo, which has the airport code SAO.
Viracopos International Airport is named after the neighbourhood in which it is located, Viracopos. The name is said to originate from a festival in the early 20th century, during which there was a misunderstanding between the parish priest and the residents. This led to excessive drinking and quarrels, with festival booths being overturned. The priest later used the name "Viracopos", which means "turn (or overturn) glasses" in Portuguese, to refer to this event in his sermons.
The airport is operated by Aeroportos Brasil, which also operates Congonhas Airport. Viracopos became the primary international airport for São Paulo in 1960 because the runway of Congonhas Airport was too short for intercontinental jet planes. However, due to its distance of nearly 100 kilometres from São Paulo, it was very inconvenient for passengers and airlines. As a result, most international passengers chose to fly to Rio de Janeiro-Galeão International Airport instead and then connect to Congonhas Airport, which is much closer to the city centre.
In 1985, with the opening of Guarulhos International Airport, Viracopos lost its status as the main international airport of São Paulo. The airport entered a period of stagnation, with all international and most domestic flights transferring to Guarulhos and Congonhas. Today, Viracopos International Airport is the fifth busiest airport in Brazil by movements and the biggest cargo airport in the country. It is served by three of Brazil's four main carriers, with Azul maintaining its hub at the airport.
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Viracopos is the fifth busiest airport in Brazil and is dominated by the carrier Azul
The airport code VCP refers to Viracopos International Airport, also known as Viracopos/Campinas International Airport. It is located in the municipality of Campinas, in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. The airport is named after the neighbourhood in which it is situated.
Viracopos is the fifth busiest airport in Brazil, and it is dominated by the carrier Azul. Azul has made Viracopos its main hub, and the airline operates around 95% of the passenger flight operations at the airport. The airline offers flights to destinations such as Lisbon, Fort Lauderdale, and Orlando. Azul's rapid growth has been accommodated by the airport's new terminal, which is divided into three parts: the mainline, regional, and international. The mainline section receives Embraer/A320 flights, the regional section operates ATR flights, and the international section receives flights to the aforementioned destinations.
Viracopos is one of three major airports serving the wider São Paulo region, along with Guarulhos and Congonhas. The airport has two IATA identifiers: CPQ and the more commonly used VCP. The VCP code is advertised as a service from São Paulo, while the CPQ code is used for services from Campinas specifically. Campinas is served by three of Brazil's four main carriers, but Azul is the dominant force, with an extensive network that contributes to the airport's high volume of movements.
The airport was originally a simple airfield built during the 1932 Constitutionalist Revolution in São Paulo. In 1946, shortly after World War II, the first runway was paved, and construction continued over the following years, with the first hangar built in 1948 and the terminal in 1950. The airport began to be used by cargo companies in the 1950s, and in 1960, a new runway was constructed, accommodating the first generation of intercontinental jet planes. The airport officially opened on October 19, 1960, the same day it received its first international flight.
Viracopos has a significant cargo capacity, with 77,000 square meters of cargo terminals, 1,700 square meters dedicated to animal cargo, and 1,480 cubic meters of refrigerated space. It serves as a major import/export hub, offering "express lanes" for courier traffic. The airport has experienced substantial growth in passenger traffic, increasing from 1.02 million in 2008 to 7.5 million in 2011.
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The airport has been the site of several aviation incidents, including crashes and a disappearance
The airport code VCP refers to Viracopos International Airport, which is also known as Viracopos/Campinas International Airport or São Paulo/Campinas. The airport is located in the municipality of Campinas, in the state of São Paulo, Brazil.
Viracopos International Airport has been the site of several aviation incidents, including crashes and a disappearance. Here is some more information about some of these incidents:
23 November 1961:
An Aerolíneas Argentinas de Havilland DH-106 Comet 4 collided with a eucalyptus forest and crashed after losing altitude shortly after taking off from Viracopos International Airport. All 12 crew members and 40 passengers on board were killed. The accident was attributed to pilot error.
26 September 1976:
A Serv-Jet Learjet 25 struck trees during an instrument approach to the runway in heavy rain and crashed about 1500 meters short of the runway. Unfortunately, all seven occupants of the plane died.
4 January 1977:
A Transbrasil BAC One-Eleven 520FN had an improper flare during landing at Viracopos International Airport, causing the aircraft to bounce and land nose gear first. This resulted in the collapse of the nose gear and a runway excursion. Fortunately, all 42 passengers and crew on board survived, but the aircraft was written off.
13 May 1980:
A VOTEC Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander aircraft disappeared while on a survey mission near Viracopos International Airport. The aircraft had seven occupants, and despite searches, it was never found.
13 October 2012:
A Centurion Air Cargo McDonnell Douglas MD-11 operating flight 425 from Miami to Viracopos International Airport lost a landing gear during landing, causing damage to the aircraft and the runway. Thankfully, there were no injuries or deaths reported in this incident. However, the airport had to be closed for 45 hours until the damaged aircraft was removed and the runway was repaired.
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Frequently asked questions
The airport code for Viracopos International Airport is VCP.
The full name of the airport is Viracopos/Campinas International Airport.
Viracopos International Airport is located in the municipality of Campinas, in the state of São Paulo, Brazil.
Viracopos International Airport became the primary international airport for São Paulo in 1960 because the runway of the previous primary airport, São Paulo-Congonhas Airport, was too short to accommodate intercontinental jet planes. However, due to its distance from São Paulo (nearly 100km), it was very inconvenient for passengers and airlines. This issue was resolved in 1985 with the opening of São Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport, and Viracopos entered a period of stagnation as international and domestic flights were transferred to the new airport.