Salgado Filho International Airport

Salgado Filho International Airport Aeroporto Internacional Salgado Filho
Salgado Filho International Airport
IATA: POA – ICAO: SBPA
Summary
Airport type		Public
Operator		Infraero
Serves		Porto Alegre
Elevation AMSL		3 m / 11 ft
Coordinates		29°59′38″S 051°10′16″W
Website		Infraero POA
Map
POA Location in Brazil
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
	m	ft
11/29	2,280	7,481	Asphalt
Statistics (2011)
Passengers			7,836,074
Aircraft Operations			99,584
Metric tonnes of cargo			26,827
Statistics: Infraero Sources: Airport Website, ANAC

TAM Airlines and Gol Transportes Aéreos airliners at Salgado Filho

Salgado Filho International Airport (IATA: POA, ICAO: SBPA) is the airport serving Porto Alegre, Brazil. It is named after the Senator and first Minister of the Brazilian Air Force Joaquim Pedro Salgado Filho (1888–1950), killed on June 20, 1950 in an accident with an aircraft which departed from Porto Alegre.

In 2010 the airport was ranked 8th in terms of transported passengers and aircraft operations and 10th in terms of cargo handled in Brazil, placing it amongst the busiest airports in the country. It is operated by Infraero.

History

Salgado Filho was originally called São João Airport, after the neighborhood where it is located. In the beginning it was an air club, where the first flights landed on May 31, 1923.

In 1932, needing a facility to use its aircraft with landing-gear which were replacing its seaplanes, Varig started using São João Airport as its operational base. However, it was only in 1940 that the first passenger terminal was inaugurated.

On October 12, 1951, São João Airport was renamed Salgado Filho Airport, after the Senator and Minister who died the year before on a crash involving a SAVAG aircraft that departed from Porto Alegre.

In 1953 the old terminal was incorporated into the maintenance facilities of Varig and a new passenger terminal was opened. This new terminal is presently known as Passenger Terminal 2. It underwent major renovations and enlargements between 1969 and 1971 but unable to cope with the increasing traffic, another brand new facility was built. It was named Passenger Terminal 1 and inaugurated on September 11, 2001. Terminal 2 became underused by general aviation and cargo services.

However, in order to cope with the increasing passenger traffic at the airport, on September 8, 2010 a decision was made to renovate Terminal 2 and bring it back into passenger use. It became operational on December 4, 2010.

The total area of the Salgado Filho Airport is about 3,805,810.04 m² with 142,750 m² of ramp area. Terminal 1 has 37,600 m² and 16 gates with jetways. Terminal 2 has 15,540 m². In front of terminal 1 there is a carpark with 1,440 places. Terminal 1 is the first facility in Latin America with a shopping mall.

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

Terminals, airlines and destinations

Passenger

Airlines	Destinations	Terminal
Aerolíneas Argentinas	Buenos Aires-Aeroparque	1
Avianca Brazil	Brasília, Campo Grande, Cuiabá, Curitiba-Afonso Pena, Porto Velho, São Paulo-Guarulhos	1
Azul Brazilian Airlines	Belo Horizonte-Confins, Campinas-Viracopos, Navegantes, Rio de Janeiro-Galeão, Rio de Janeiro-Santos Dumont	2
BQB Líneas Aéreas	Punta del Este, Rivera	1
Copa Airlines	Panama City	1
Gol Airlines	Belo Horizonte-Confins, Brasília, Buenos Aires-Ezeiza, Campinas-Viracopos, Campo Grande, Córdoba, Cuiabá, Curitiba-Afonso Pena, Florianópolis, Goiânia, Londrina, Manaus, Montevideo, Porto Velho, Rio de Janeiro-Galeão, Recife, Rosário, São Paulo-Congonhas, São Paulo-Guarulhos, Salvador da Bahia, Santiago de Chile	1
NHT Linhas Aéreas	Caçador, Chapecó, Curitiba-Afonso Pena, Erechim, Joaçaba, Passo Fundo, Pelotas, Rio Grande, Santa Maria, Santa Rosa, Santo Ângelo, Uruguaiana	1
Passaredo Linhas Aéreas	Brasília, Goiânia, Londrina, Ribeirão Preto, Santarém, São José do Rio Preto	1
PLUNA	Montevideo	1
TACA Perú	Lima	1
TAP Portugal	Lisbon	1
TAM Airlines	Belo Horizonte-Confins, Brasília, Buenos Aires-Aeroparque, Campinas-Viracopos, Curitiba-Afonso Pena, Florianópolis, Fortaleza, Manaus, Recife, Rio de Janeiro-Galeão, Rio de Janeiro-Santos Dumont, Salvador da Bahia, São Paulo-Congonhas, São Paulo-Guarulhos	1
TAM Airlines operated by Pantanal Linhas Aéreas	São Paulo-Congonhas	1
TRIP Linhas Aéreas	Belo Horizonte-Confins, Campo Grande, Chapecó, Criciúma, Cuiabá, Foz do Iguaçu, Joinville, Londrina, Maringá, São Paulo-Guarulhos	1
Webjet	Belo Horizonte-Confins, Brasília, Curitiba-Afonso Pena, Florianópolis, Fortaleza, Foz do Iguaçu, Navegantes, Recife, Ribeirão Preto, Rio de Janeiro-Galeão, Rio de Janeiro-Santos Dumont, Salvador da Bahia, São Paulo-Guarulhos	2
Whitejets	Seasonal: Bariloche	1

a.^ Airline operating regular charter flights.
b.^ Airline operating charter flights.

Scheduled cargo

Airlines	Destinations
Florida West International Airways	Miami
LAN Cargo	Miami
Total Linhas Aéreas	São Paulo-Guarulhos

Accidents and incidents

Major accidents involving fatalities

• February 28, 1942: a Varig Junkers Ju-52/3m registration PP-VAL crashed shortly after take-off from Porto Alegre. Six of the 21 occupants died, including 2 crew members.
• January 11, 1949: a SAVAG Lockheed Model 18-10-01 Lodestar registration PP-SAC flying from Pelotas to Porto Alegre crashed just after take-off from Pelotas killing all 8 occupants. Causes are likely to have been fuel contamination.
• August 2, 1949: a Varig Curtiss C-46AD-10-CU Commando registration PP-VBI operating a flight from São Paulo-Congonhas Airport to Porto Alegre made an emergency landing on rough terrain near the location of Jaquirana, approximatelly 20 minutes before landing in Porto Alegre, following fire on the cargo hold. Of the 36 passenger and crew aboard, 5 died.
• June 30, 1950: a SAVAG Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar registration PP-SAA, flying between Porto Alegre and São Borja, while flying in bad weather collided against a hill, caught fire and crashed near the location of São Francisco de Assis. All 12 occupants died, including the founder of SAVAG and pilot, Gustavo Kraemer, and Joaquim Pedro Salgado Filho, senator and first Minister of Air Force in Brazil.
• July 28, 1950: a Panair do Brasil Lockheed L-049 Constellation registration PP-PCG flying from Rio de Janeiro-Santos Dumont to Porto Alegre struck power lines and crashed on a hill after running out of fuel while holding in bad weather near São Leopoldo. All 50 passengers and crew died.
• October 14, 1952: an Aerovias Brasil Douglas C-47-DL registration PP-AXJ operated by Real Transportes Aéreos en route from Rio de Janeiro-Santos Dumont to Porto Alegre struck high ground while flying under adverse conditions over the location of São Francisco de Paula. Of the 18 passengers and crew aboard, 14 died.
• June 4, 1954: a Varig Curtiss C-46A-45-CU Commando registration PP-VBZ operating a cargo flight between São Paulo-Congonhas Airport and Porto Alegre crashed during take-off from São Paulo. All crew of 3 died.
• April 7, 1957: a Varig Curtiss C-46A-45-CU Commando registration PP-VCF operating a flight from Bagé to Porto Alegre crashed during take-off in Bagé following a fire developed in the left main gear wheel well and consequent technical difficulties. All 40 passenger and crew died.
• September 18, 1957: a Real Transportes Aéreos Convair 440-62 registration PP-AQE belonging to Transportes Aéreos Nacional, flying from Porto Alegre to Montevideo had an accident during touch down operations in Montevideo. While on a night landing procedure under fog, the aircraft undershoot the runway by 1,030m, causing the left and middle gear to hit an earth bank bordering a highway. The right wing touched the ground and further on the aircraft lost both propellers. The right wing then broke off. One crew member died.
• October 18, 1957: a Varig Douglas C-47A-80-DL registration PP-VCS operating a cargo flight from Porto Alegre crashed upon take-off. The crew of two died.
• July 1, 1963: a Varig Douglas C-47B-20-DK registration PP-VBV flying from Porto Alegre to Passo Fundo collided with trees on high ground and crashed shortly before arriving in Passo Fundo. Of the 18 passengers and crew aboard, 15 died.
• July 17, 2007: a TAM Airlines Airbus A320 registration PR-MBK operating flight 3054 from Porto Alegre to São Paulo-Congonhas overran the runway while landing at Congonhas, crossed a major thoroughfare and impacted against a TAM Express warehouse. All 186 passengers and crew perished. 199 bodies were recovered from the crash site, including passengers, crew and people that were working at the warehourse.

Incident

• May 30, 1972: a Varig Lockheed L-188 Electra registration PP-VJL operating a flight between São Paulo-Congonhas to Porto Alegre was hijacked. The hijacker demanded money. The aircraft was stormed and the hijacker shot.

Access

The airport is located 6 km (4 mi) northeast of downtown Porto Alegre.

Taxi and bus services are available to and from Terminal 1. In front of Terminal 2 there is a station of the Porto Alegre subway, which connects the airport to Porto Alegre downtown and to other cities in the greater Porto Alegre metropolitan area.

Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 are connected by a frequent shuttle service.

Future developments

On August 31, 2009, Infraero unveiled a BRL122 million (USD64.3 million; EUR45 million) investiment plan to up-grade Salgado Filho International Airport focusing on the preparations for the 2014 FIFA World Cup which will be held in Brazil, Porto Alegre being one of the venue cities. The investiment will be used in the extension of the runway with completion due in July 2012.

See also

• List of the busiest airports in Brazil

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.

External links

• Airport information for SBPA at World Aero Data. Data current as of October 2006.Source: DAFIF.
• Airport information for SBPA at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF (effective Oct. 2006).
• Current weather for SBPA at NOAA/NWS
• Accident history for POA at Aviation Safety Network
• Salgado Filho Photo Archive at airliners.net

Gallery

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  The counters are "dynamic" and work on demand. All companies that operates...

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  ... in the Salgado Filho Intl. Airport use the counter's equipment connected on their system.

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  Terminal 1, observation "deck".

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  The Gol 737–800 PR-GTA on the Terminal 1, Gate 3 Right.