Rio de Janeiro–Galeão International Airport

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Aeroporto Internacional do Galeão - Antônio Carlos Jobim
Aeroporto Internacional do Galeão - Antônio Carlos Jobim
Torre de controle Rio de Janeiro (Galeao).jpg
Control Tower of the airport
IATA: GIGICAO: SBGL
Summary
Airport type Public/Military
Operator Infraero
Serves Rio de Janeiro
Elevation AMSL 9 m / 28 ft
Coordinates 22°48′36″S 043°15′02″W / 22.81000°S 43.25056°W / -22.81000; -43.25056Coordinates: 22°48′36″S 043°15′02″W / 22.81000°S 43.25056°W / -22.81000; -43.25056
Website Infraero GIG
Map
GIG is located in Rio de Janeiro
GIG
Location within greater Rio de Janeiro
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
10/28 4,000 13,123 Concrete
15/33 3,180 10,433 Asphalt
Statistics (2012)
Passengers 17,491,744
Aircraft Operations 154,318
Metric tonnes of cargo 118,752
Statistics: Infraero[1]
Sources: Airport Website,[2] ANAC[3]

Rio de Janeiro/Galeão–Antonio Carlos Jobim International Airport (IATA: GIGICAO: SBGL), popularly known by its original name Galeão International Airport, is the main airport serving Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is named after Praia do Galeão (Galleon Beach), located in front of the original passenger terminal (the present passenger terminal of the Brazilian Air Force) and where in 1663 the galleon Padre Eterno was built;[4][5] and since January 5, 1999 also after the Brazilian musician Antonio Carlos Brasileiro de Almeida Jobim.[6] Galeão Airport is explicitly mentioned in his composition "Samba do avião."

Operated by Infraero, it is the largest airport site in Brazil. In 2012 the airport was ranked 2nd in terms of transported passengers, and 4th in terms of aircraft operations and cargo handled in Brazil, placing it amongst the busiest airports in the country.[7]

Some of its facilities are shared with the Galeão Air Force Base of the Brazilian Air Force.

Contents

History[edit]

A tribute to Tom Jobim at Rio de Janeiro International Airport.

The history of the airport begins on May 10, 1923 when a School of Naval Aviation was established near Galeão beach on Governador Island.[8] On May 22, 1941 with the creation of the Brazilian Air Force Ministry, the school became the Galeão Air Force Base; a terminal and hangars were built and the runway extended. Those buildings still exist and Galeão Air Force Base is still active. When Brazil declared war against the Axis on August 22, 1942, the aerodrome began to be used intensely by the Allies for military operations related to the World War II.[9]

At the end of the war, Santos Dumont Airport was unable to handle the increased tonnage of aircraft flying on international routes and number of passengers. For this reason, international flights were gradually moved to the site of the Air Force Base. The services were however precarious and a decision was made to build a brand new passenger terminal, opposite to the Air Force Base, across the runway.

On February 1, 1952 the new passenger terminal opened and remained in use with enlargements until 1977. This terminal is presently used by passenger flights operated by the Brazilian Air Force. The cargo terminal is also located in the area and all-cargo aircraft usually park at its adjoining apron. The whole complex is now informally known as the "old Galeão."

By 1970 the airport was Brazil's major international and domestic air-hub. In that year, its administration was taken over by Infraero, an agency then recently created by the Brazilian government.

As proof of the airport's prestige, the Concorde made its scheduled maiden-flight with Air France on January 21, 1976, flying from Paris – Charles de Gaulle to Galeão via Dakar. Those twice-weekly flights were discontinued in 1982. Furthermore, the 007 – James Bond production Moonraker (1979) shows the Concorde touching down at Galeão.

On June 6, 1967 in response the growth of the air traffic in Brazil, the Brazilian military government initiated studies concerning the renovation of the airport infrastructure in Brazil. As part of the conclusions of these studies, because of their location, strategic importance, and security issues, new passenger facilities would be constructed in the areas of Galeão Air Force Base in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo Air Force Base in São Paulo.[10]

On January 20, 1977, when the airport was receiving all of Brazil's major international flights, this new terminal was opened and all scheduled passenger flights were transferred to the new building. This building is known today as Passenger Terminal 1. One of the features dating from this time is the sultry PA system announcements made by Iris Lettieri, which were featured on National Public Radio.[11]

In 1985 the airport lost the title of the country's major international airport to São Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport. At that time, a new runway allowing intercontinental flights with no weight restrictions was opened in São Paulo and Brazilian and foreign airlines increasingly used São Paulo as a national and international hub. As a consequence, the number of transiting passengers dropped. Constant efforts were made by the Government of the State of Rio de Janeiro to reverse the trend. As a result, after stagnating for years embittered by the loss of domestic flights to Santos Dumont and international flights to São Paulo-Guarulhos Airports, Galeão has – since late 2004 – gradually recovered its importance in the national and international spheres with addition of flights and airlines.

During the year 1991, Passenger Terminal 1 underwent its first major renovation in preparation for the United Nations Earth Summit held in 1992. Its annual capacity was increased to 7,5 million passengers/year. On July 20, 1999 Passenger Terminal 2 was opened. Presently, the airport has those two passenger terminals in elliptical format, each with twelve jetways and capable of handling 7,5 million passengers annually.

On April 26, 2011 it was confirmed that in order to speed-up much needed renovation and up-grade works, private companies will be granted a concession to explore some Infraero airports among them, on a second phase, Galeão.[12] The plan was confirmed on May 31, 2011 and it was added that Infraero would retain 49% of the shares of each privatized airport and that negotiations are expected to be concluded on the first half of 2012.[13]

One of the two TAP Maintenance & Engineering centers in Brazil is located at Galeão International Airport.

Terminals, airlines and destinations[edit]

As of April 2014, section A on terminal 1 is under renovation and section A on terminal 2 is under construction.

Passenger[edit]

Airlines Destinations Terminal
Aerolíneas Argentinas Buenos Aires-Aeroparque, Puerto Iguazú 1C
Aerolíneas Argentinas operated by Austral Líneas Aéreas Buenos Aires-Aeroparque, Buenos Aires-Ezeiza 1C
Air France Paris-Charles de Gaulle 1C
Alitalia Rome-Fiumicino 1C
American Airlines Dallas/Fort Worth, Miami, New York-JFK 2B
Avianca Bogotá 1C
Avianca Brazil Brasília, Florianópolis, Fortaleza, Maceió, Porto Alegre, Recife, Salvador da Bahia, São Paulo-Guarulhos 1C
Avianca Peru Lima 1C
Azul Brazilian Airlines Belo Horizonte-Confins, Campinas-Viracopos, Cuiabá, Fortaleza, Navegantes, Porto Alegre, Porto Velho, Recife, Uberlândia 1B
Azul Brazilian Airlines operated by TRIP Linhas Aéreas Campinas-Viracopos, Cuiabá 1B
British Airways London-Heathrow 1C
Condor Seasonal: Frankfurt 1C
Copa Airlines Panama City 1C
Delta Air Lines Atlanta 2B
Emirates Buenos Aires-Ezeiza, Dubai 2C
Ethiopian Airlines Addis Ababa [begins 3 July 2013],[14] Lomé [begins 3 July 2013][14] TBD
Gol Airlines Aracaju, Belém-Val de Cans, Belo Horizonte-Confins, Brasília, Buenos Aires-Ezeiza, Campinas-Viracopos, Córdoba, Curitiba-Afonso Pena, Florianópolis, Fortaleza, Foz do Iguaçu, Goiânia, João Pessoa, Juazeiro do Norte, Londrina, Macapá, Maceió, Manaus, Miami, Natal, Navegantes, Petrolina, Porto Alegre, Recife, Salvador da Bahia, Santo Domingo, São Luís, São Paulo-Congonhas, São Paulo-Guarulhos, Vitória 1B
Gol Airlines operated by Varig Aruba, Caracas, Punta Cana, São Paulo-Guarulhos 1B
Iberia Madrid 1C
KLM Amsterdam 1C
LAN Airlines Santiago de Chile 2D
Lufthansa Frankfurt 2C
Passaredo Linhas Aéreas Cuiabá, Goiânia, Ribeirão Preto, São José do Rio Preto, Uberlândia 1C
TAAG Angola Airlines Luanda 2B
TAM Airlines Belém-Val de Cans, Belo Horizonte-Confins, Brasília, Buenos Aires-Ezeiza, Campinas-Viracopos, Caracas, Curitiba-Afonso Pena, Florianópolis, Fortaleza, Foz do Iguaçu, Frankfurt [ends 12 August 2013],[15] João Pessoa, London-Heathrow, Maceió, Manaus, Miami, Montevideo, Natal, New York-JFK, Paris-Charles de Gaulle [ends 10 August 2013],[15] Porto Alegre, Recife, Salvador da Bahia, Santarém, Santiago de Chile, São Luís, São Paulo-Congonhas, São Paulo-Guarulhos, Vitória 2D
TAM Airlines
operated by Pantanal Linhas Aéreas
São Paulo-Congonhas 2D
TAP Portugal Lisbon, Porto 2C
United Airlines Houston-Intercontinental, Washington-Dulles 2B
US Airways Charlotte 2C

Cargo[edit]

GIG International destinations
Airlines Destinations
ABSA Cargo Airline Belo Horizonte-Confins, Cabo Frio, Campinas-Viracopos, Ciudad del Este, Curitiba-Afonso Pena, Manaus, Miami, Porto Alegre, São Paulo-Guarulhos
Centurion Air Cargo Miami, Santiago de Chile
Evergreen International Miami[16]
LAN Cargo Amsterdam, Buenos Aires-Ezeiza, Frankfurt, Miami, Montevideo, Santiago de Chile
LANCO Bogotá, Lima, Miami, Quito
Rio Linhas Aéreas Recife, Salvador da Bahia, São Paulo-Guarulhos
Skylease Cargo Miami[17]

Statistics[edit]

Apron view of terminal 2
Departures hall of terminal 2
Year Number of passengers[18]
2003 4,619,229
2004 6,024,930
2005 8,657,139
2006 8,856,527
2007 10,352,616
2008 10,754,689
2009 11,828,656
2010 12,229,513
2011 14,926,615
2012 17,491,744
2013 (January to April) 5,743,671
Tourists in Rio de Janeiro, arriving by plane according to the country of residence (2012)[19]
Rank Country Number of passengers
1 Argentina 255,844
2 United States 159,997
3 France 81,756
4 Chile 78,426
5 United Kingdom 59,903
6 Germany 53,840
7 Italy 50,085
8 Portugal 37,733
9 Spain 30,300
10 Colombia 20,092

Accidents and incidents[edit]

Major accidents involving fatalities[edit]

  • April 29, 1952: a Pan Am Boeing 377 Stratocruiser 10–26 registration N1039V operating flight 202 en route from Rio de Janeiro-Galeão to New York via Port of Spain crashed in the jungle in the south of the State of Pará. Probable causes are the separation of no. 2 engine and propeller from the aircraft due to highly unbalanced forces followed by uncontrollability and disintegration of the aircraft. All 50 passengers and crew died.[20]
  • July 27, 1952: a Pan Am Boeing 377 Stratocruiser 10–26 registration N1030V operating flight 201 en route from Rio de Janeiro-Galeão to Buenos Aires-Ezeiza following pressurization problems during climb, a door blew open, a passenger was blown out and the cabin considerably damaged. One passenger died.[21]
  • January 11, 1959: a Lufthansa Lockheed L-1049G Super Constellation registration D-ALAK operating flight 502 flying from Hamburg to Rio de Janeiro-Galeão via Frankfurt, Paris-Orly and Dakar crashed during approach under heavy rain at Galeão. The crew descended below minimums. Of the 39 passengers and crew aboard, 3 survived. This was the first accident of Lufthansa after it was re-established.[22]
  • December 22, 1959: a VASP Vickers Viscount 827 registration PP-SRG while on approach to land at Rio de Janeiro-Galeão was involved in a mid-air collision with the Brazilian Air Force Fokker S-11 (T-21) registration FAB0742 in the vicinity of Manguinhos Airport. All 32 people on board the Viscount were killed, as were a further ten on the ground. The T-21 pilot parachuted to safety. This accident eventually led to the closure of Manguinhos Airport.[23][24][25]
  • August 20, 1962: a Panair do Brasil Douglas DC-8-33 registration PP-PDT taking-off from Rio de Janeiro-Galeão to Lisbon overran the runway into the ocean during an aborted operation. Of the 120 passengers and crew aboard 14 died.[26][27]
  • June 9, 1973: a Varig cargo Boeing 707-327C registration PP-VJL flying from Campinas-Viracopos to Rio de Janeiro-Galeão while making an instrument approach to Rio de Janeiro-Galeão had technical problems with the spoilers which eventually caused the aircraft to pitch down, descended fast, struck approach lights and ditch. All 6 occupants died.[28]
  • July 26, 1979: a Lufthansa cargo Boeing 707-330C registration D-ABUY operating flight 527 from Rio de Janeiro-Galeão to Frankfurt via Dakar collided with a mountain 5 minutes after take-off from Galeão. The crew of 3 died.[29]
  • June 1, 2009: an Air France Airbus 330-203 registration F-GZCP operating flight 447 en route from Rio de Janeiro-Galeão to Paris-Charles de Gaulle disappeared in the Atlantic Ocean 565 km (351 mi) north-east of Natal. All 228 passengers and crew on board died. The official cause of the accident, the worst in the airline's history, is incorrect speed readings due to pitot tube ice blockage, followed by inappropriate pilot inputs.[30]

Incidents[edit]

Access[edit]

The airport is located 20 km (12 mi) north of downtown Rio de Janeiro.

There are executive (blue) and ordinary (yellow) taxis available and bookable on company booths at arrival halls.

Premium Auto Ônibus operates executive bus 2018, that runs half-hourly between 05:30 and 23:30 hours, from the airport to the Central Bus Station, Rio de Janeiro downtown, Santos Dumont Airport, and the southern parts of the city along the shore, with final stop at Alvorada Bus Terminal in Barra da Tijuca. Bus 2918 follows a similar schedule to Alvorada Bus Terminal following a different and more direct route using via Amarela. Bus 2101 is an express link between Galeão and Santos Dumont airports and bus 2145 is a normal service to the Central Bus Station, downtown, and Santos Dumont Airport. It runs every 20 minutes between 05:30 and 22:30 hours.[33] Ticket counters for these bus services are located at the arrivals area of both terminals.

Viação 1001 operates bus 761-D from the airport to Niterói.[34]

Future developments[edit]

On August 31, 2009, Infraero unveiled a BRL819 million (USD431 million; EUR302 million) investiment plan to up-grade Galeão International Airport focusing on the preparations for the 2014 FIFA World Cup which will be held in Brazil, Rio de Janeiro being one of the venue cities, and the 2016 Summer Olympics, which Rio de Janeiro will host. The investiment will be distributed as follows:[35]

  • Renovation of Passenger Terminal 1. Value 314.9 million. Expected to be completed: February 2011
  • Completion and renovation of Passenger Terminal 2. Value 284.0 million. Expected to be completed: May 2012
  • Construction of further parking. Value 220.0 million. Expected to be completed: May 2013

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Movimento operacional da rede Infraero de janeiro a dezembro de 2012" (in Portuguese). Infraero. January 14, 2013. Retrieved January 15, 2013. 
  2. ^ "Airport Official Website" (in Portuguese). Infraero. 
  3. ^ "Lista de aeródromos públicos" (in Portuguese). ANAC. 
  4. ^ Enders, Armelle (2008). A História do Rio de Janeiro (in Portuguese) (2nd ed.). Rio de Janeiro: Gryphus. p. 54. ISBN 978-85-60610-09-9. 
  5. ^ Doria, Pedro (2012). 1565: Enquanto o Brasil nascia: A aventura de portugueses, franceses, índios e negros na fundação do país (in Portuguese) (1st ed.). Rio de Janeiro: Nova Fronteira. pp. 240–241. ISBN 978-85-2093114-1. 
  6. ^ "Lei n˚9.778, de 5 de janeiro de 1999" (in Portuguese). Lei Direto. January 5, 1999. Retrieved September 4, 2010. 
  7. ^ "Estatísticas" (in Portuguese). Infraero. Retrieved March 18, 2013. 
  8. ^ Instituto Histórico-Cultural da Aeronáutica (1990). História Geral da Aeronáutica Brasileira: de 1921 às vésperas da criação do Ministério da Aeronáutica (in Portuguese) 2. Belo Horizonte and Rio de Janeiro: Itatiaia and Instituto Histórico-Cultural da Aeronáutica. pp. 58, 66, 558. 
  9. ^ Pereira, Aldo (1987). Breve história da aviação comercial brasileira (in Portuguese). Rio de Janeiro: Europa Empresa Gráfica e Editora. pp. 403–405. 
  10. ^ "Decreto nº 69.784 de 14 de dezembro de 1971" (in Portuguese). Senado federal. 14 december 1971. Retrieved August 29, 2011. 
  11. ^ McCarthy, Julie (March 17, 2007). "The Most Captivating Voice in the World". NPR. Retrieved September 24, 2010. 
  12. ^ Bitencourt, Rafael (April 26, 2011). "Governo define concessão de obras em 3 aeroportos, diz Palocci" (in Portuguese). Valor Online. Retrieved May 16, 2011. 
  13. ^ Salomon, Marta; Monteiro, Tânia (June 1, 2011). "Governo pretende privatizar três aeroportos e abrir o capital da Infraero" (in Portuguese). O Estado de São Paulo: Economia. Retrieved June 2, 2011. 
  14. ^ a b Schapochnik, Cláudio (February 8, 2013). "Aérea africana inicia voos para o Brasil em junho" (in Portuguese). Panrotas. Retrieved February 11, 2013. 
  15. ^ a b http://www.businesstraveller.com/news/tam-to-axe-european-routes
  16. ^ http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/blog/morning-edition/2012/09/evergreen-international-airlines.html
  17. ^ http://www.skyleasecargo.com/assets/downloads/skylease-2012-timetable.pdf
  18. ^ "Estatísticas" (in Portuguese). Infraero. Retrieved December 22, 2012. 
  19. ^ "Anuário Estatístico de Turismo 2013" (in Portuguese). Ministério do Turismo. Retrieved May 16, 2013. 
  20. ^ "Accident description N1039V". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved September 15, 2011. 
  21. ^ "Accident description N1030V". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved September 24, 2011. 
  22. ^ "Accident description D-ALAK". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved September 15, 2011. 
  23. ^ "Accident description PP-SRG and FAB0742". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved November 2, 2011. 
  24. ^ Pereira, Aldo (1987). Breve História da Aviação Comercial Brasileira (in Portuguese). Rio de Janeiro: Europa. pp. 205–206. 
  25. ^ Germano da Silva, Carlos Ari César (2008). "Reportagem derradeira". O rastro da bruxa: história da aviação comercial brasileira no século XX através dos seus acidentes 1928-1996 (in Portuguese) (2 ed.). Porto Alegre: EDIPUCRS. pp. 177–181. ISBN 978-85-7430-760-2. 
  26. ^ "Accident description PP-PDT". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved September 16, 2011. 
  27. ^ Germano da Silva, Carlos Ari César (2008). "Rejeição tardia na decolagem". O rastro da bruxa: história da aviação comercial brasileira no século XX através dos seus acidentes 1928-1996 (in Portuguese) (2 ed.). Porto Alegre: EDIPUCRS. pp. 208–213. ISBN 978-85-7430-760-2. 
  28. ^ "Accident description PP-VJL". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved July 1, 2011. 
  29. ^ "Accident description D-ABUY". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved September 22, 2011. 
  30. ^ "Final Report On the accident on 1st June 2009 to the Airbus A330-203 registered F-GZCP operated by Air France flight AF 447 Rio de Janeiro - Paris". Bureau d’Enquêtes et d’Analyses. Retrieved July 5, 2012. 
  31. ^ "Incident description 1 January 1970". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved July 18, 2011. 
  32. ^ "Incident description PP-PDX". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved September 24, 2011. 
  33. ^ "Itinerários" (in Portuguese). Real Auto Ônibus. Retrieved February 15, 2013. 
  34. ^ "Linhas Metropolitanas Charitas x Galeão" (in Portuguese). Autoviação 1001. Retrieved May 9, 2013. 
  35. ^ Rittner, Daniel; Braga, Paulo Victor (August 31, 2009). "Infraero vai gastar R$5 bi em reforma de aeroportos". Valor Econômico (in Portuguese). pp. A4. 

External links[edit]