Operated by Infraero, it is the largest airport site in Brazil. In 2010, the airport was ranked 4th in terms of transported passengers and cargo handled, and 6th in aircraft operations in Brazil, placing it amongst the busiest airports in the country. Furthermore, it is the 2nd busiest airport in terms of international air traffic in the country.
Some of its facilities are shared with the Galeão Air Force Base of the Brazilian Air Force.
History
The history of the airport begins on May 10, 1923 when a School of Naval Aviation was established near Galeão beach on Governador Island. 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.
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 (TECA) 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.
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.
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. 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 negotioations are expected to be concluded on the first half of 2012.
One of the two TAP Maintenance & Engineering centers in Brazil is located at Galeão International Airport.
Terminals, airlines and destinations
Passenger
Airlines Destinations Terminal
Aerolíneas Argentinas Buenos Aires-Aeroparque, Buenos Aires-Ezeiza, Puerto Iguazú 1C
Air France Paris-Charles de Gaulle 1C
Alitalia Rome-Fiumicino 1C
American Airlines Dallas/Fort Worth, Miami, New York-JFK 1B
Avianca Bogotá 1B
Avianca Brazil São Paulo-Guarulhos 1B
Azul Brazilian Airlines Belo Horizonte-Confins, Campinas-Viracopos, Cuiabá, Fortaleza, Goiânia, Navegantes 1A
British Airways London-Heathrow 1B
Continental Airlines Houston-Intercontinental 1C
Copa Airlines Panama City 1C
Delta Air Lines Atlanta 1B
Emirates Buenos Aires-Ezeiza [begins January 3], Dubai [begins January 4] 2
Gol Transportes Aéreos Aracaju, Belém-Val de Cães, Belo Horizonte-Confins, Brasília, Buenos Aires-Ezeiza, Campina Grande, Campinas-Viracopos, Córdoba, Curitiba-Afonso Pena, Florianópolis, Fortaleza, Foz do Iguaçu, Goiânia, João Pessoa, Juazeiro do Norte, Londrina, Macapá, Maceió, Manaus, Maringá, Natal, Navegantes, Porto Alegre, Recife, Salvador da Bahia, Santiago de Chile, São Luís, São Paulo-Congonhas, São Paulo-Guarulhos, Teresina, Uberlândia, Vitória 1A
Gol Transportes Aéreos
operated by Varig Aruba, Caracas, Punta Cana, São Paulo-Guarulhos 1A
Iberia Madrid 1C
KLM Amsterdam 1C
LAN Airlines Santiago de Chile 1B
Lufthansa Frankfurt 2B
PLUNA Montevideo 2B
TAAG Angola Airlines Luanda 1B
TACA Perú Lima 1C
TAM Airlines Belém-Val de Cães, Belo Horizonte-Confins, Brasília, Buenos Aires-Ezeiza, Campinas-Viracopos, Caracas, Curitiba-Afonso Pena, Florianópolis, Fortaleza, Foz do Iguaçu, Frankfurt, João Pessoa, London-Heathrow, Maceió, Manaus, Miami, Natal, New York-JFK, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Petrolina, Porto Alegre, Recife, Salvador da Bahia, São Luís, São Paulo-Congonhas, São Paulo-Guarulhos, Teresina, Vitória 2A
TAM Airlines operated by Pantanal Linhas Aéreas Salvador da Bahia, São Paulo-Congonhas 2A
TAM Airlines Paraguay Asunción, Buenos Aires-Aeroparque 2A
TAP Portugal Lisbon, Porto 2B
Transaero Airlines a Seasonal: Moscow-Domodedovo 1
United Airlines Washington-Dulles 2B
US Airways Charlotte 2B
Webjet Belo Horizonte-Confins, Brasília, Curitiba-Afonso Pena, Florianópolis, Fortaleza, Foz do Iguaçu, Goiânia, Natal, Navegantes, Porto Alegre, Recife, Ribeirão Preto, Salvador da Bahia, Uberlândia 2A
Whitejets b Recife [begins December 26], São Paulo-Guarulhos [begins December 26]
Seasonal: Maceió, Natal, Porto Seguro, Punta Cana 1C
a.^ Airline operating regular charter flights.
b.^ Airline operating regular and charter flights.
Scheduled cargo
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
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
VarigLog Campinas-Viracopos, São Paulo-Guarulhos
Accidents and incidents
Major accidents involving fatalities
April 29, 1952: 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.
July 27, 1952: 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.
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.
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.
August 20, 1962: a Panair do Brasil Douglas DC-8-33 registration PP-PDT flying from Rio de Janeiro-Galeão to Lisbon overran the runway into the ocean during an aborted take-off. Of the 105 passengers and crew aboard 15 died.
November 27, 1962: a Varig Boeing 707–441 registration PP-VJB operating flight 810 from Rio de Janeiro-Galeão to Lima after initiating an overshoot procedure at the suggestion of the control tower because it was too high, proceeded to start another approach when it crashed into La Cruz peak, 8 miles away from Lima Airport. Possibly there was a misinterpretation of navigation instruments. All 97 passengers and crew aboard died.
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.
July 11, 1973: a Varig Boeing 707-345C registration PP-VJZ operating flight 820 from Rio de Janeiro-Galeão to Paris-Orly made a successful emergency landing at an open field 5 km before landing, after reporting fire in a rear lavatory. However, 123 of the 134 passengers and crew aboard died, overcome by smoke and carbon monoxide poisoning before the aircraft could be evacuated.
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.
June 8, 1982: a VASP Boeing 727–212 registration PP-SRK operating flight 168 from Rio de Janeiro-Galeão to Fortaleza collided with a mountain while on approach to Fortaleza. The captain descended below a minimum descent altitude. All 137 passengers and crew died.
January 3, 1987: a Varig Boeing 707-379C registration PP-VJK operating flight 797 from Abidjan to Rio de Janeiro-Galeão crashed due to a failure on engine 1 shortly after take-off. While attempting to return to the airport for an emergency landing, it crashed on a field 18 km away from Abidjan’s airport. Of the 51 passengers and crew aboard, a single passenger survived.
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 still under investigation, but a possible pitot tube failure has been speculated.
[edit]Incidents
March 3, 1965: a VASP Vickers 701C Viscount registration PP-SRQ was damaged beyond economic repair when the aircraft departed the runway during a simulated engine failure on take-off.
January 1, 1970: a Cruzeiro do Sul Sud Aviation SE-210 Caravelle VI R en route from Montevideo to Rio de Janeiro-Galeão with 33 occupants aboard was hijacked by 6 persons who demanded to be flown to Cuba. The flight was diverted to Lima, Panama City and arrived in Havana two days later. There were no victims.
July 1, 1970: a Cruzeiro do Sul Sud Aviation SE-210 Caravelle VI R registration PP-PDX en route from Rio de Janeiro-Galeão to São Paulo with 31 occupants aboard was hijacked by 4 persons who demanded the release of political prisoners that were to be taken to Cuba. The aircraft was stormed and the hijackers arrested. There were no victims and the hijacking lasted less than a day.
Access
The airport is located 20 km (12 mi) north of downtown Rio de Janeiro.
There are executive (blue) and ordinary (yellow) taxis available bookable on company booths at the arrivals halls .
Real Auto Ônibus operates executive bus 2018, that runs half-hourly (between 05:30 and 22:30 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 to Alvorada Bus Terminal following a different and more direct route. Bus 2145 is an express link between Galeão and Santos Dumont airports via the Central Bus Station and downtown. 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.
Gol Airlines offers for its passengers free bus transfers between Galeão and Jacarepaguá Airport located in the neighborhood of Barra da Tijuca at regular times.
Future developments
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:
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
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