Viracopos International Airport: Difference between revisions
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'''Viracopos–Campinas International Airport''' {{airport codes|VCP|SBKP}} is the international airport serving [[Campinas]], [[Brazil]]. On January 6, 1987, the airport name was officially normalized to its present form.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www2.camara.gov.br/legin/fed/lei/1980-1987/lei-7585-6-janeiro-1987-368205-publicacaooriginal-1-pl.html | title=Lei n˚7.585, de 6 de janeiro de 1987 | publisher=Câmara dos Deputados | language=Portuguese | date=6 January 1987 | accessdate=21 April 2011}}</ref> |
'''Viracopos–Campinas International Airport''' {{airport codes|VCP|SBKP}} is the international airport serving [[Campinas]], [[Brazil]]. On January 6, 1987, the airport name was officially normalized to its present form.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www2.camara.gov.br/legin/fed/lei/1980-1987/lei-7585-6-janeiro-1987-368205-publicacaooriginal-1-pl.html | title=Lei n˚7.585, de 6 de janeiro de 1987 | publisher=Câmara dos Deputados | language=Portuguese | date=6 January 1987 | accessdate=21 April 2011}}</ref> |
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In 2011 the airport was ranked 9<sup>th</sup> in terms of transported passengers and aircraft operations, and 2<sup>nd</sup> in terms of cargo handled in Brazil, placing it amongst the [[List of the busiest airports in Brazil|busiest airports]] in the country.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.infraero.gov.br/index.php/br/estatistica-dos-aeroportos.html | title=Estatísticas | language=Portuguese | publisher=Infraero | accessdate=February 20, 2012}}</ref> It is operated by [[Infraero]]. |
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==History== |
==History== |
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Revision as of 01:36, 20 February 2012
Viracopos–Campinas International Airport Aeroporto Internacional de Viracopos–Campinas | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Operator | Infraero | ||||||||||
| Serves | Campinas, São Paulo | ||||||||||
| Hub for | Azul Brazilian Airlines | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 661 m / 2,170 ft | ||||||||||
| Website | Infraero VCP | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  VCP Location in Brazil | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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| Statistics (2011) | |||||||||||
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Viracopos–Campinas International Airport (IATA: VCP, ICAO: SBKP) is the international airport serving Campinas, Brazil. On January 6, 1987, the airport name was officially normalized to its present form.[4]
In 2011 the airport was ranked 9th in terms of transported passengers and aircraft operations, and 2nd in terms of cargo handled in Brazil, placing it amongst the busiest airports in the country.[5] It is operated by Infraero.
History
The IATA airport code of Viracopos is VCP and the specific city code of Campinas is CPQ. Sometimes both codes are used as one although there is a distinction between them in airline reservation systems: VCP, together with CGH (Congonhas) and GRU (Guarulhos), is part of the multiple airport system set around the city of São Paulo (code SAO). An airline that files services with the code VCP has flights displayed when passengers or travel agents request service from São Paulo, whereas flights filed with the code CPQ are displayed as service from Campinas, not São Paulo. A similar example is New York City (NYC), in which the airport codes LGA (LaGuardia Airport), JFK (John F. Kennedy International Airport), and EWR (Newark Liberty International Airport) are used for the same city, although the latter is located in a different city and state.
Viracopos's origin can be traced to a simple airfield near Campinas built during the 1932 Constitutionalist Revolution in São Paulo. During the 1950s it started being used by cargo companies. In 1960 it was improved with a 3,240 m runway, long enough to accommodate the first generation of intercontinental jet planes such as the Boeing 707, de Havilland Comet, Vickers VC10, Convair 990, and Douglas DC-8, and received its first international flight.[6] Furthermore, Viracopos served (and still serves) as an alternate airport for Rio de Janeiro-Galeão International Airport and São Paulo airports particularly because it rarely closes due to bad weather conditions (an average of only 5 days per year). Soon airlines such as Varig, VASP and Real established services to Viracopos.[7]
In the 1970s Viracopos became the international airport for São Paulo, because the runway of São Paulo-Congonhas Airport was too short to accommodate intercontinental jet planes. In practice, however, the distance of nearly 100 km from Viracopos to São Paulo made it very inconvenient for passengers and airlines. As a result, direct international passenger service was limited because most international passengers simply opted to fly instead to Rio de Janeiro-Galeão International Airport and then connect to São Paulo-Congonhas, which is located very close to downtown. At that time, Viracopos even appeared on the Guinness Book of Records as the furthest airport from the city it allegedly served.
The position of international airport of São Paulo was lost in 1985 with the opening of Guarulhos International Airport and Viracopos entered into a decade of stagnation, with all international and most domestic flights transferred to Guarulhos and Congonhas.[6]
However, recognizing the strategic importance of Viracopos for the economy, Infraero, the airport administrator in 1995 started to implement a master plan of renovations aiming at the building of a new airport, focusing its efforts on the segment of cargo transportation. The first phase was completed in the first half of 2004, when the airport received new passenger departure and arrival lounges, public areas, commercial concessions and a new cargo terminal. The second phase of the passenger terminal expansion project was completed in 2005 and a new control tower was built, storage and processing facilities for the cargo terminal expanded, and the passenger terminal was entirely revamped. A third phase of expansion, which will build a second runway, is projected, depending on environmental impact reports funds for purchasing private land around the airport. A total area of 12.36 km2, with 3,172 urban and 88 lots need to be expropriated by the government for this purpose.
Being the second busiest cargo airport in Brazil, Viracopos has 60,000 square meters (646,000 square feet) of cargo terminals, 1,700 square meters (18,300 square feet) for animal cargo, and 1,480 cubic meters (52,200 square feet) of refrigerated space. As a major import/export hub, Viracopos enjoys 'express lanes' for courier traffic which are exceptionally quick and unbureaucratic by Brazilian standards.
The region of Campinas, like most of the interior of the state of São Paulo, is one of the most prosperous in Brazil, with an impressive economic output. Its local domestic passenger traffic, combined with the intense domestic and international cargo traffic that also serves São Paulo, is large enough to make Viracopos a relatively busy airport. In fact, between 2008 and 2010 passenger traffic grew 400 percent, from 1.02 million in 2008 to 5.5 million in 2010. The airport can handle 7 million passengers/year.[7] The number of flights offered has increased dramatically since Azul Brazilian Airlines made Viracopos its main hub. However, until 2010 there were no other scheduled international passenger flights. That year TAP Portugal started services to Lisbon, PLUNA to Montevideo, and the charter operator Whitejets to destinations in the Caribbean.
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, including Viracopos.[8] 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.[9]
Airlines and destinations
Passenger
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Azul Brazilian Airlines | Aracaju, Araçatuba, Bauru/Arealva, Belo Horizonte-Confins, Brasília, Caldas Novas, Campo Grande, Caxias do Sul, Cuiabá, Curitiba-Afonso Pena, Florianópolis, Fortaleza, Foz do Iguaçu, Goiânia, Ilhéus, João Pessoa, Joinville, Juazeiro do Norte, Juiz de Fora-Zona da Mata, Londrina, Maceió, Manaus, Marília, Maringá, Navegantes, Natal, Palmas, Porto Alegre, Porto Seguro, Presidente Prudente, Recife, Ribeirão Preto, Rio de Janeiro-Galeão, Rio de Janeiro-Santos Dumont, Salvador da Bahia, São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo-Congonhas, Teresina, Uberaba, Vitória Seasonal: Cabo Frio |
| Gol Airlines | Belo Horizonte-Confins, Brasília, Curitiba-Afonso Pena, Fortaleza, Maringá, Porto Alegre, Rio de Janeiro-Galeão, Salvador da Bahia, Vitória |
| PLUNA | Montevideo |
| TAM Airlines | Belo Horizonte-Confins, Brasília, Curitiba-Afonso Pena, Florianópolis, Fortaleza, Porto Alegre, Recife, Rio de Janeiro-Galeão, Salvador da Bahia, São Luís |
| TAP Portugal | Lisbon |
| TRIP Linhas Aéreas | Belo Horizonte-Confins, Belo Horizonte-Pampulha, Campo Grande, Curitiba-Afonso Pena, Dourados, Londrina, Rio de Janeiro-Santos Dumont, São Paulo-Guarulhos |
| Whitejetsa | Seasonal: Punta Cana |
a.^ Airline operating charter flights.
Scheduled cargo
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| ABSA Cargo Airline | Caracas, Ciudad del Este, Lima, Medellín, Manaus, Miami, Porto Alegre, Salvador da Bahia, Santiago de Chile, Vitória |
| Atlas Air | Miami |
| Cargolux | Bogotá, Curitiba-Afonso Pena, Luxembourg, Milan-Malpensa, Quito |
| Centurion Air Cargo | Miami |
| Emirates SkyCargo | Dakar, Dubai |
| FedEx | Buenos Aires-Ezeiza, Memphis, Santiago de Chile |
| Florida West International Airways | Miami, Salvador da Bahia |
| LAN Cargo | Amsterdam, Buenos Aires-Ezeiza, Caracas, Frankfurt, Iquique, Manaus, Miami, Porto Alegre, Salvador da Bahia, Santiago de Chile, Vitória |
| LANCO | Bogotá, Miami |
| Lufthansa Cargo | Buenos Aires-Ezeiza, Dakar, Frankfurt, Quito |
| Martinair | Amsterdam |
| MasAir | Los Angeles, Mérida, Mexico City |
| UPS Airlines | Miami |
Accidents and incidents
- 23 November 1961: an Aerolíneas Argentinas de Havilland DH-106 Comet 4 registration LV-AHR operating flight 322 from Campinas-Viracopos to Port of Spain after reaching an altitude of about 100m lost altitude, collided with a eucalyptus forest and crashed. All 12 crew and 40 passengers on board were killed. The accident was attributed to pilot error.[10]
- 9 June 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.[11]
- 4 February 1996: a LAC Colombia cargo Douglas DC-8-55F registration HK-3979X flying from Asunción to Campinas-Viracopos for an empty positioning flight from Asunción. At VR power was reduced on no. 1 engine and, after rotation, also on the no. 2 engine. With the gear still down and flaps at 15° the aircraft lost control and crashed on a playing field 2km past the runway. The crew possibly used the positioning flight as an opportunity for crew training. All four occupants of the aircraft and 20 persons on the ground died.[12]
- 15 September 2001: a TAM Airlines Fokker 100 registration PT-MRN operating the charter flight 9755, flying from Recife to Campinas-Viracopos, following an uncontrolled engine failure en route to Campinas had 3 cabin windows shattered by fragments of the engine and made an emergency landing at Belo Horizonte-Confins. One passenger was sucked out partly and held by another passenger until the aircraft landed. The passenger did not survive though.[13][14]
Access
The airport is located 99 km (62 mi) northwest of the capital city of São Paulo and 20 km (12 mi) southwest of Campinas, adjacent to the Bandeirantes-Anhanguera highway complex, which connects the capital city to the interior of São Paulo state.
Future developments
On 31 August 2009, Infraero unveiled a BRL2,814 million (USD1,482.6 million; EUR1,038.8 million) investiment plan to up-grade Viracopos International Airport focusing on the preparations for the 2014 FIFA World Cup which will be held in Brazil, São Paulo (99 km away) being one of the venue cities. The investment also intends to provide infra-structure to the airport, alleviating the air-traffic presently concentrated at São Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport. The investiment will be distributed as follows:[15]
- Construction of a second runway. Value 314.0. Completion: April 2013
- Construction of phase 1 of a new passenger terminal. Value 2,500.0. Completion: May 2015
See also
References
- ^ "Infraero Statistics for the Airport" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Infraero.
- ^ "Airport Official Website" (in Portuguese). Infraero.
- ^ "Lista de aeródromos públicos" (in Portuguese). ANAC.
- ^ "Lei n˚7.585, de 6 de janeiro de 1987" (in Portuguese). Câmara dos Deputados. 6 January 1987. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
- ^ "Estatísticas" (in Portuguese). Infraero. Retrieved February 20, 2012.
- ^ a b Azul Brazilian Airlines, ed. (2011). "Viracopos, o nosso escolhido". Bem-vindo à bordo (in Portuguese) (8). Campinas: Azul Brazilian Airlines: 23–25.
- ^ a b Torres, Carmen Lígia (2011). "Capital privado dá novo impulso: Plano do governo federal é criar o maior centro aeroportuário do país". Polo de inovação: Centros de pesquisa são a base do desenvolvimento (in Portuguese). São Paulo: Valor Econômico: 36.
- ^ Bitencourt, Rafael (26 April 2011). "Governo define concessão de obras em 3 aeroportos, diz Palocci" (in Portuguese). Valor Online. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
- ^ Salomon, Marta; Monteiro, Tânia (1 June 2011). "Governo pretende privatizar três aeroportos e abrir o capital da Infraero" (in Portuguese). O Estado de São Paulo: Economia. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
- ^ "Accident description LV-AHR". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 27 June 2011.
- ^ "Accident description PP-VJL". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 29 June 2011.
- ^ "Accident description HK-3979X". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 27 June 2011.
- ^ "Accident description PT-MRN". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 23 May 2011.
- ^ Marra, Lívia (16 September 2001). "Avião da TAM acidentado em Minas havia sido revisado no mês passado" (in Portuguese). Folha Online. Retrieved 23 May 2011.
- ^ Rittner, Daniel; Braga, Paulo Victor (31 August 2009). "Infraero vai gastar R$5 bi em reforma de aeroportos". Valor Econômico (in Portuguese). pp. A4.
External links
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- Template:WAD
- Airport information for SBKP at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF (effective October 2006).
- Accident history for VCP at Aviation Safety Network
- Viracopos International Airport Photo Archive at airliners.net