Rio de Janeiro/Galeão–Antonio Carlos Jobim International Airport (IATA:GIG,ICAO:SBGL), popularly known by its original nameGaleão International Airport, is the maininternational airport servingRio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The airport was originally named after the neighborhood ofGaleão:[5]Praia do Galeão (Galleon Beach) is located in front of the original passenger terminal (the present passenger terminal of theBrazilian Air Force). This beach is the location where thegalleonPadre Eterno was built in 1663.[6][7] On January 5, 1999 the name was changed adding a tribute to the Brazilian musicianAntonio Carlos Jobim.[8] Galeão Airport is explicitly mentioned in his compositionSamba do Avião.
Since August 12, 2014[9] the airport has been operated by theconcessionary Rio Galeão,[10] a consortium formed by the Brazilian investorOdebrecht andChangi Airport Group, with a minority participation of the government owned companyInfraero, the previous operator.[11] The new concessionary has been using the brand nameRIOgaleão–Aeroporto Internacional Tom Jobim.[12]
Some of its facilities are shared with theGaleão Air Force Base of the Brazilian Air Force.
Airport MapEntrance of the original Passenger Terminal Building used between 1952 and 1977.
On 10 May 1923, a School of Naval Aviation was established near Galeão beach onGovernador Island.[13] On 22 May 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 theAxis on 22 August 1942, the aerodrome began to be used intensely by theAllies for military operations related to World War II.[14]
Tribute toTom Jobim at Rio de Janeiro International Airport.
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.[15]
On 1 February 1952, the new passenger terminal was opened and remained in use with enlargements until 1977. This terminal is used presently 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".[15]
In the beginning of the 1970s, the airport was Brazil's major international and domestic air-hub. Between 1973 and 1987 the airport was managed by ARSA, until ARSA was incorporated byInfraero on 27 February 1987, an agency then recently created by the Brazilian government.[16] Infraero was the administrator until 2013.
As proof of the airport's prestige, theConcorde made its scheduled maiden flight withAir France on 21 January 1976, flying fromParis–Charles de Gaulle to Galeão viaDakar. Those twice-weekly flights were discontinued in 1982. Furthermore, the007 – James Bond productionMoonraker (1979) shows the Concorde touching down at Galeão.
On 6 June 1967, in response to the growth of air traffic in Brazil, the Brazilian government initiated studies concerning the renovation of airport infrastructure in the country. As part of the conclusions of these studies, because of their location, strategic importance, and security issues, new passenger facilities would be constructed in theGaleão Air Force Base in Rio de Janeiro and theSão Paulo Air Force Base inSão Paulo.[17]
On 20 January 1977, when the airport was receiving most 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 sultryPA system announcements made by Iris Lettieri, which were featured onNational Public Radio.[18]
In 1985, the airport lost the title of the country's major international airport to the newly-openedSão 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 ofRio de Janeiro to reverse the trend. As a result, after stagnating for years embittered by the loss of domestic flights to Santos Dumont Airport and international flights to São Paulo–Guarulhos Airport, 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 theUnited Nations Earth Summit held in 1992. Its annual capacity was increased to 7.5 million passengers a year. On 20 July 1999, Passenger Terminal 2 was opened. The airport has those two passenger terminals in elliptical format, each with twelve jetways and capable of handling 7.5 million passengers annually.
On 31 August 2009, Infraero unveiled aR$819 million (US$431 million;€302 million) investment plan to upgrade Galeão International Airport focusing on the preparations for the2014 FIFA World Cup which was held in Brazil, Rio de Janeiro being one of the venue cities, and the2016 Summer Olympics, which Rio de Janeiro would host. The investment was supposed to be distributed as follows:[19]
Renovation of Passenger Terminal 1. Completed: 2012
Completion and renovation of Passenger Terminal 2. Completed: June 2012
Construction of further parking. Value 220.0 million. Completed: Late-2013
Responding to critiques to the situation of its airports, on May 18, 2011, Infraero released a list evaluating some of its most important airports according to its saturation levels. According to the list, Galeão was considered to be in good situation, operating with less than 70% of its capacity.[20]
Like most South American airports operated by government-owned operators, Galeão had high operating costs per passenger.[21] On 26 April 2011, it was confirmed that in order to speed-up much needed renovation and upgrade works, private companies would be granted aconcession to operate some Infraero airports among them, on a second phase, Galeão.[22] The plan was confirmed on 31 May 2011, and it was added that Infraero would retain 49% of the shares of each privatized airport.[23] On 22 November 2013, the Brazilian Government had a bidding process to determine the airport's private operator from 2014 until 2039. The Group Aeroporto Rio de Janeiro, also known as RIOgaleão, formed byGrupo Odebrecht (60%) and Singaporean operatorChangi Airport Group (40%) paidR$19 billion and won the competition.[24][25] The contract was signed on 2 April 2014.[26][27]
The new concessionary, RIOgaleão, has revised, modified and upgraded those plans to include the construction of a new pier with 26 new bridges, a new apron for 97 aircraft, and 2,640 car-parking spaces have been added in 2016–17, which would sum up toR$2 billion reais.[28][29]
One day after the closure of the 2016 Summer Olympics, Galeão handled an all-time record of passengers on a single day. It is estimated that on 22 August 2016, 85,000 passengers transited at the airport facilities.[30][31]
On 10 February 2022, the concessionary requested the devolution of the facility. The request was approved by theNational Civil Aviation Agency of Brazil on 25 May 2022. A new bidding process is expected to take place in 2023.[32]
On 27 May 2022,TAP Maintenance & Engineering closed the facility at Galeão which it had operated since 2006. This maintenance center was previously owned byVarig.[33] On 7 July 2022,United Airlines was announced as the new owner of the facility.[34]
In April 2022, the airport was used forStock Car Pro Series automobile racing.Cacá Bueno Circuit, named afterCacá Bueno, Rio de Janeiro-born and 5 timesStock Car Brasil champion, was built within the airport partially using runways 10/28 for this purpose.[35] However, the circuit was not included in the 2023 Stock Car Pro Series calendar due to the increase of flights after theCOVID-19 pandemic.[36]
Galeão was the primary airport of Rio de Janeiro, being the much smallerSantos Dumont Airport the secondary facility until 2019. In 2020 positions inverted and in 2022 Santos Dumont was accounting for approximately 63% of the total traffic ofGreater Rio de Janeiro, spread into three airports. In 2022 Santos Dumont reached 10,178,502 transported passengers whereas Galeão had only 5,895,257.[1][37] In order to control and revert this abnormal trend, on August 10, 2023 the Civil Aviation National Council issued an order to restrict Santos Dumont services to airports located within 400 km maximum from Rio de Janeiro and without international services. The resolution came into force on January 1, 2024, and is considered to be provisory, until a balance is reached. Airlines started cancelling and/or moving services to Galeão in September 2023.[38][39] Following resistance from the international aviation community, on November 8, 2023 the restrictions were reversed and replaced by an annual cap of 6.5 million passengers transiting at Santos Dumont Airport, starting in 2024.[40]
The facility covers a total of 1,788.2hectares (4,419acres),[41] being the largest airport site in terms of area in Brazil.
Since November 2016, the check-in and baggage claim areas of Terminal 1 are not in use. All passengers must use Terminal 2 to access the boarding gates of any terminal.[42]
Terminal 1Terminal 2 check-in areaAir Traffic Control Tower
Following is the number of passenger, aircraft and cargo movements at the airport, according toInfraero (2007-2013) and RIOgaleão (2014-2023) reports:[63][64][1]
27 July 1952: aPan AmBoeing 377 Stratocruiser 10–26 registration N1030V operating flight 201 en route from Rio de Janeiro–Galeão toBuenos Aires–Ezeiza following pressurization problems during climb, a door blew open, a passenger was blown out and the cabin considerably damaged. One passenger died.[65]
11 January 1959: aLufthansaLockheed L-1049G Super Constellation registration D-ALAK operatingFlight 502 flying fromHamburg to Rio de Janeiro–Galeão viaFrankfurt,Paris–Orly andDakar 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.[66]
22 December 1959: aVASPVickers 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 ForceFokker S-11 (T-21) registration FAB0742 in the vicinity ofManguinhos 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.[67][68][69]
20 August 1962: aPanair do BrasilDouglas DC-8-33 registration PP-PDT taking-off from Rio de Janeiro–Galeão toLisbon overran the runway into the ocean during an aborted operation. Of the 120 passengers and crew aboard 14 died.[70][71]
1 July 1970: a Cruzeiro do SulSud 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 toCuba. The aircraft was stormed and the hijackers arrested. There were no victims and the hijacking lasted less than a day.[73]
9 June 1973: aVarig cargoBoeing 707-327C registration PP-VJL flying fromCampinas 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.[74]
26 July 1979: a Lufthansa cargoBoeing 707-330C registration D-ABUY operatingflight 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.[75]
12 December 1985: anAir FranceBoeing 747-228B, registration F-GCBC, arriving fromParis–Charles de Gaulle with 273 passengers and crew, veered off the right side of runway 15 on landing, crossed a ditch and collided with a concrete wall in the cargo apron. There was a fire that totally destroyed the aircraft, but all occupants had been safely evacuated before that, with no victims or serious injuries. The accident was later traced to a ruptured power control cable in engine #1, which made the engine accelerate beyond maximum takeoff power, destabilizing the plane.[76]
11 February 2025: A GOL Transportes Aereos Boeing 737-8 MAX, registration PS-GPP was accelerating down runway 10 when it collided with an airport vehicle. The takeoff was rejected and all passengers disembarked. While the aircraft and the car both sustained damage, there were no injuries.
Viação 1001 operates the urban bus line 761-D from the airport toNiterói.[83] Furthermore, the same company operates an executive service toArmação dos Búzios four times a day. Departure is from the arrivals level of Terminal 1.[84]
Ordinary city busses 924 and 925 operate to the neighborhood ofIlha do Governador, and 915 toBonsucesso. From both neighborhoods there are connections to the North and South Sides of the city.
^Enders, Armelle (2008).A História do Rio de Janeiro (in Portuguese) (2nd ed.). Rio de Janeiro: Gryphus. p. 54.ISBN978-85-60610-09-9.
^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.ISBN978-85-2093114-1.
^"O Aeroporto" (in Portuguese). RIOgaleão – Aeroporto Internacional Tom Jobim.Archived from the original on 12 October 2014. Retrieved8 October 2014.
^Instituto Histórico-Cultural da Aeronáutica (1990).História Geral da Aeronáutica Brasileira: de 1921 às vésperas da criação do Ministério da Aeronáutica (in Portuguese). Vol. 2. Belo Horizonte and Rio de Janeiro: Itatiaia and Instituto Histórico-Cultural da Aeronáutica. pp. 58, 66, 558.
^Pereira, Aldo (1987).Breve história da aviação comercial brasileira (in Portuguese). Rio de Janeiro: Europa Empresa Gráfica e Editora. pp. 403–405.
^abBeting, Panda (2024). "Flapback Aeroportos Galeão".Flap International (in Portuguese). Vol. 61, no. 613. pp. 23–24.
^"Infraero 40 anos"(PDF).Infraero (in Portuguese). 2013. Retrieved3 July 2024.
^"Projeto Rio Galeão" (in Portuguese). Rio Galeão.Archived from the original on 18 August 2014. Retrieved19 August 2014.
^Barbosa, Carolina (20 August 2014)."Luz no fim da pista" (in Portuguese). Veja Rio. Archived fromthe original on 23 August 2014. Retrieved22 August 2014.
^Pereira, Aldo (1987).Breve História da Aviação Comercial Brasileira (in Portuguese). Rio de Janeiro: Europa. pp. 205–206.
^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.ISBN978-85-7430-760-2.
^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.ISBN978-85-7430-760-2.
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