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Santos Dumont Airport

This article is about the Rio de Janeiro airport. For the airport serving Paranaguá, see Paranaguá Airport.

Santos Dumont Airport

Aeroporto Santos Dumont
Summary
Airport typePublic / Military
Operator
  • ARSA (1973–1987)
  • Infraero (1987–present)
ServesRio de Janeiro
Opened16 October 1936; 88 years ago (1936-10-16)
Focus city for
Time zoneBRT (UTC−03:00)
Elevation AMSL3 m / 10 ft
Coordinates22°54′36″S 043°09′45″W / 22.91000°S 43.16250°W / -22.91000; -43.16250
Websitewww4.infraero.gov.br/aeroportos/aeroporto-do-rio-de-janeiro-santos-dumont/
Map
SDU is located in Rio de Janeiro
SDU
SDU
Location within greater Rio de Janeiro
SDU is located in Rio de Janeiro (state)
SDU
SDU
SDU (Rio de Janeiro (state))
SDU is located in Brazil
SDU
SDU
SDU (Brazil)
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
02R/20L 1,323 4,341 Asphalt
02L/20R 1,260 4,134 Asphalt
Statistics (2024)
Passengers6,145,799 Decrease 46%
Aircraft operations71,386 Decrease 41%
Metric tonnes of cargo4,698 Decrease 63%
Statistics: Infraero[1]
Sources: Airport Website,[2] ANAC,[3] DECEA[4]

The Santos Dumont Airport (IATA: SDU, ICAO: SBRJ) is the second major airport serving Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is more of a domestic hub, with Galeão International Airport serving international flights after 2023.

It is one of the ten airports in the country with the most air traffic, and is located adjacent to Rio de Janeiro's financial center. It is named after the Brazilian aviation pioneer Alberto Santos Dumont (1873–1932), and is operated by Infraero.

History

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The Seaplane terminal on the day of its dedication (November 30, 1936).
Panair Terminal in the 1940s
Crowds gather in front of the airport during the transport of President Getúlio Vargas' body from Rio for burial in São Borja, 26 August 1954
View of Santos Dumont in 1971 with Varig headquarters
Historic waiting area in 2020

Originally known as Calabouço Airport, the history of the airport can be traced back to the early 1930s. Until that time, the few aircraft equipped with landing gear used the Manguinhos Airport. Seaplanes, which at the time operated the majority of domestic and international flights, used a terminal located at the Calabouço Point, an area known today as the Praça Marechal Âncora. Take-off and landings were made using an area of the Guanabara Bay then known as estirão do Caju (Caju water stretch). It was as a development of the terminal at the Calabouço Point that the Calabouço Airport was created.[5]

In 1934, land was reclaimed from the sea to create the first runway of the airport with a length of 1,300 feet (400 m). In 1936, the runway was extended to 2,300 feet (700 m) and on 30 November, the airport was officially opened, being named Santos Dumont Airport. The first commercial flight arrived on the same day, a VASP Junkers Ju 52 aircraft flying from São Paulo–Congonhas.[6][7]

Pan American World Airways and its Brazilian subsidiary Panair do Brasil opened their own terminal for seaplanes in 1937. It features architecture inspired by the Panamerican Seaplane Base and Terminal Building in Miami. It remained the headquarters of Panair do Brasil until the airline was forced to cease its operations in 1965. It is now the headquarters of the Third Regional Air Command of the Brazilian Air Force.[6]

In 1938 the construction of a new passenger terminal began. It was a project led by the architects MMM Roberto (Marcelo, Milton and Mauricio Roberto Doria-Baptista) inspired in the Paris–Le Bourget Airport terminal. Its pioneering, modernist, architectural features caused it to become a Brazilian national landmark in 1998. It was only in 1945 that the terminal's construction was completed, which was interrupted by World War II. This building continues to be used to the present day, but only for arrivals.[8][6]

Also in 1938, the runway was extended from 700 to 1050 meters to satisfy the demand for land aircraft.

In 1947, the runway was extended to 1,350 meters.

The original terminal building, which now handles only arrivals.

On 21 July 1953, within a law prescribing rules for the naming of airports, the name of the facility was officially and exceptionally maintained as Santos Dumont Airport.[9]

On 21 May 1959 a formal agreement between Varig, Cruzeiro do Sul, and VASP created an air shuttle service (Portuguese: Ponte Aérea), the first of its kind in the world. This service operated between the Santos Dumont Airport and the São Paulo–Congonhas and comprised regular hourly departures, common check-in counter, and simplified tickets. The service was an instant success. Transbrasil joined the partnership in 1968. Starting in 1975 the service was operated exclusively by Varig's Lockheed L-188 Electra propjets. In 1999 this service came to an end because airlines decided to operate their own independent services.[10]

With the gradual shift of international operations to the Galeão Airport, opened in 1952, the Santos Dumont airport lost its place as an international hub, and then lost its place as the most important domestic hub in 1960, when the capital of Brazil was moved to Brasília. The airport handles only part of Rio's short-to-medium haul domestic air traffic, and part of its general aviation and military operations. The airport is famous for having some of the shortest runways on which some Boeing and Airbus aircraft can land. An idea of these operations is given in the 007–James Bond film Moonraker of 1979, in which a Lockheed L-188 Electra briefly appears taking-off from the airport.

The new terminal building opened in 2007 and handles all departures.

The airport was heavily damaged in a fire on 13 February 1998, which kept the airport closed until 15 August 1998.[6]

In March 2005, an ordinance restricted the airport's operations to domestic flights, general aviation, and air taxi. Among others, the main limitation centers on turboprop aircraft, with a maximum capacity of 50 seats on regular flights, with the exception of flights to Sao Paulo which operate without restriction.

On 26 May 2007, in time for the 2007 Pan American Games, a brand-new, modern extension of the original terminal was opened. This extension handles all departure operations, whilst the original terminal now handles all arrival operations. The new departures terminal increased the total capacity of the airport to 8.5 million passengers/year and added 8 passenger gates. It also introduced a one-of-a-kind climate control system, with the air conditioning installed in the floor to prevent obstruction of the view. The total area was increased from 19,000 m² to 61,000 m².[11]

On 3 September 2009, the operational standards were adjusted; the airport would close between 23:00 and 06:00 hours, and the maximum number of flights per hour was reduced from 23 to 19,[12][13] being one of the five airports with such restrictions in Brazil.[14]

Boarding area in 2019

On 31 August 2009, Infraero unveiled a BRL152.2 million (US$80.2 million; EUR64.5 million) investment plan to upgrade Santos Dumont Airport, particularly the passenger arrivals terminal.[15] The plan focused on the preparations for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, which was held in Brazil and Rio de Janeiro being one of the venue cities, and the 2016 Summer Olympics. The renovation was completed in 2013.

Whilst this airport is quite conveniently located very close to the city centre, the location is problematic because aircraft have Sugarloaf Mountain on the direct approach path; this means that aircraft have to negotiate the mountainous terrain beyond the two runways by either:
a. flying over the bay entrance, then quickly swerving behind Sugarloaf on to the runway glide path, or
b. fly over central Rio and negotiate the mountainous terrain not just around Sugarloaf, but also around the central west of Rio.

A highlight of the Santos Dumont Airport is the modern departure lounge, the first in the country to be completely covered with transparent material, which provides a wide view of the Guanabara Bay, where it is possible to see tourist attractions such as the Rio-Niterói Bridge, the Fiscal Island, the Museum of Contemporary Art, the city of Niterói, the Naval School and the Sugarloaf Mountain.[16]

The Santos Dumont Airport was the secondary airport of Rio de Janeiro, the much larger Galeão–Antonio Carlos Jobim International Airport being the primary facility until 2019. In 2020 positions inverted and in 2022 the Santos Dumont was accounting for approximately 63% of the total traffic of Greater 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][17] 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 400km maximum from Rio de Janeiro and without international services. The resolution came into force on 1 January 2024 and was considered to be provisory, until a balance was reached. Airlines started cancelling and/or moving services to the Galeão in September 2023. Using the opportunity of reduced traffic, the same resolution authorized the upgrade works of Runway End Safety Areas applying engineered materials arrestor system.[18][19] Following resistance from the international aviation community, on 8 November 2023 these restrictions were reversed and replaced by an annual cap of 6,5 million passengers starting in 2024.[20]

Airlines and destinations

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Aerial view of the airport
AirlinesDestinations
Azul Brazilian Airlines Belo Horizonte–Confins, Campinas, São Paulo–Congonhas, São Paulo–Guarulhos
Gol Linhas Aéreas Brasília, São Paulo–Congonhas
LATAM Brasil Brasília, São Paulo–Congonhas, São Paulo–Guarulhos

Statistics

[edit]
Planes with Sugarloaf Mountain in the background
View of both runways

Following is the number of passenger, aircraft and cargo movements at the airport, according to Infraero reports:[21][1]

Year Passenger Aircraft Cargo (t)
2024 6,145,799 Decrease 46% 71,386 Decrease 41% 4,698 Decrease 63%
2023 11,446,012 Increase 12% 120,888 Increase 11% 12,656 Increase 26%
2022 10,178,502 Increase 50% 109,352 Increase 51% 10,005 Increase 46%
2021 6,799,614 Increase 37% 72,370 Increase 34% 6,854 Increase 31%
2020 4,978,152 Decrease 45% 54,080 Decrease 43% 5,215 Decrease 25%
2019 9,091,258 Decrease 1% 95,203 Decrease 5% 6,982 Increase 5%
2018 9,206,059 Steady 100,144 Decrease 2% 6,679 Increase 91%
2017 9,247,185 Increase 2% 102,067 Decrease 3% 3,490 Increase 40%
2016 9,065,905 Decrease 6% 105,671 Decrease 12% 2,499 Decrease 14%
2015 9,618,197 Decrease 3% 120,538 Decrease 4% 2,892 Decrease 43%
2014 9,924,977 Increase 8% 125,798 Decrease 1% 5,089 Decrease 42%
2013 9,204,603 Increase 2% 127,328 Decrease 6% 8,828 Increase 50%
2012 9,002,863 Increase 6% 135,373 Increase 4% 5,875 Increase 39%
2011 8,515,021 Increase 9% 129,629 Increase 2% 4,236 Increase 25%
2010 7,822,848 Increase 53% 126,515 Increase 30% 3,367 Decrease 6%
2009 5,009,643 Increase 41% 97,075 Increase 36% 3,564 Increase 42%
2008 3,628,766 Increase 13% 71,527 Increase 9% 2,509 Decrease 8%
2007 3,214,415 65,689 2,733

Accidents and incidents

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Major accidents involving fatalities

[edit]

Incidents

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Access

[edit]

The Rio de Janeiro Light Rail has a terminal station at the airport connecting the airport with downtown area, the subway system, the Central Railway Station, and the Central Bus Station.

See also

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References

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Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

  1. ^ a b c "Estatísticas". Infraero (in Portuguese). 13 January 2025. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
  2. ^ "Aeroporto Santos Dumont". Infraero (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 29 March 2019. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  3. ^ "Aeródromos". ANAC (in Portuguese). 29 June 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  4. ^ "Santos Dumont (SBRJ)". DECEA (in Portuguese). Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  5. ^ Empresa das Artes, ed. (1996). Aeroporto Santos Dumont 1936–1996 (in Portuguese). Rio de Janeiro: Empresa das Artes. ISBN 85-85628-27-8.
  6. ^ a b c d "Aeroporto Santos Dumont é inaugurado na Ponta do Calabouço, em 1936". Globo.com (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2 July 2013. Retrieved 11 August 2025.
  7. ^ Cardoso, Marcel (30 November 2021). "Aeroporto Santos Dumont completou 85 anos". AERO Magazine (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 11 August 2025.
  8. ^ Pereira, Aldo (1987). Breve história da aviação comercial brasileira (in Portuguese). Rio de Janeiro: Europa Empresa Gráfica e Editora.
  9. ^ "Lei no 1.909, de 21 de julho de 1953". Presidência da República (in Portuguese). 21 July 1953. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  10. ^ "Ponte Aérea completa meio século". Revista da Associação dos tripulantes da TAM. 2009. pp. 2–3.
  11. ^ "Santos Dumont Airport". Airport Technology. Retrieved 11 August 2025.
  12. ^ "Restrições obrigam aeroporto Santos Dumont a alterar rota" (in Portuguese). INEA. 4 August 2009. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 13 September 2011.
  13. ^ "Licença ambiental vai restringir operações no Aeroporto Santos Dumont" (in Portuguese). Agência Brasil. 4 August 2009. Archived from the original on 25 March 2012. Retrieved 13 September 2009.
  14. ^ "Nota técnica" (PDF) (in Portuguese). ANAC. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 March 2012. Retrieved 12 September 2011.
  15. ^ Rittner, Daniel; Braga, Paulo Victor (31 August 2009). "Infraero vai gastar R$5 bi em reforma de aeroportos". Valor Econômico (in Portuguese). pp. A4. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  16. ^ "Aeroporto Santos Dumont SDU | Rio de Janeiro - PR". Aeroporto Santos Dumont | Rio de Janeiro - Brasil (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 6 November 2024.
  17. ^ "Movimentação aeroportuária". RIOgaleão (in Portuguese). Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  18. ^ "Governo Federal anuncia restrição de voos no Santos Dumont a partir de janeiro de 2024". gov.br (in Portuguese). 10 August 2023. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  19. ^ "RESOLUÇÃO CONAC-MPOR Nº 1, DE 10 DE AGOSTO DE 2023". Imprensa Nacional (in Portuguese). 10 August 2023. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
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  26. ^ "Accident description PP-SPD". Aviation Safety Network. Archived from the original on 4 November 2012. Retrieved 17 August 2011.
  27. ^ Germano da Silva, Carlos Ari César (2008). "Colisão com a Escola Naval". 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. 54–60. ISBN 978-85-7430-760-2.
  28. ^ "Accident description PP-CDJ". Aviation Safety Network. Archived from the original on 4 November 2012. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
  29. ^ "Accident description PP-LEM". Aviation Safety Network. Archived from the original on 4 November 2012. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
  30. ^ Germano da Silva, Carlos Ari César (2008). "O senhor do céu". 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. 162–164. ISBN 978-85-7430-760-2.
  31. ^ "Accident description PP-BTB". Aviation Safety Network. Archived from the original on 4 November 2012. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
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  33. ^ Germano da Silva, Carlos Ari César (2008). "Ponte aérea das doze horas". 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. 171–173. ISBN 978-85-7430-760-2.
  34. ^ "Accident description 131582". Aviation Safety Network. Archived from the original on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 11 May 2011.
  35. ^ "Accident description PP-AXD". Aviation Safety Network. Archived from the original on 30 May 2013. Retrieved 23 September 2011.
  36. ^ Germano da Silva, Carlos Ari César (2008). "Torre de Babel". 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. 182–186. ISBN 978-85-7430-760-2.
  37. ^ "Accident description PP-YRB". Aviation Safety Network. Archived from the original on 19 July 2012. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
  38. ^ Germano da Silva, Carlos Ari César (2008). "O mistério da ilha dos Ferros". 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. 190–193. ISBN 978-85-7430-760-2.
  39. ^ "Accident description PP-SMI". Aviation Safety Network. Archived from the original on 23 October 2012. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
  40. ^ Germano da Silva, Carlos Ari César (2008). "O Samurai desaparecido". 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. 274–278. ISBN 978-85-7430-760-2.
  41. ^ "Accident description PP-SMJ". Aviation Safety Network. Archived from the original on 23 October 2012. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
  42. ^ Germano da Silva, Carlos Ari César (2008). "Dia do aviador". 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. 291–293. ISBN 978-85-7430-760-2.
  43. ^ "Incident description PP-PCR". Aviation Safety Network. Archived from the original on 4 November 2012. Retrieved 12 September 2011.
  44. ^ "Incident description PP-SRM". Aviation Safety Network. Archived from the original on 25 October 2012. Retrieved 11 September 2009.
  45. ^ "Incident description FAB2100". Aviation Safety Network. Archived from the original on 26 May 2012. Retrieved 2 September 2009.
  46. ^ "Accident description Learjet 55C PT-LXO". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 11 August 2025.
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