Recife/Guararapes–Gilberto Freyre International Airport

Aeroporto Internacional do Recife/Guararapes – Gilberto Freyre[4] (IATA: REC, ICAO: SBRF) is the airport serving Recife, Brazil.

Recife/Guararapes – Gilberto Freyre International Airport Aeroporto Internacional do Recife/Guararapes – Gilberto Freyre
IATA: REC ICAO: SBRF
Summary
Airport type	Public
Operator	AENA
Serves	Recife
Hub for	Azul Brazilian Airlines
Focus city for	Gol Transportes Aéreos
Elevation AMSL	10 m / 33 ft
Coordinates	08°07′35″S 034°55′22″W
Website	www.aenabrasil.com.br/pt/aeroportos/aeroporto-internacional-do-recife-guararapes-gilberto-freyre/index.html
Map
REC Location in Brazil
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 18/36 3,007 9,865 Asphalt
Statistics (2019)
Passengers 8,714,119 3.5% Aircraft Operations 80,887 2.7% Metric tonnes of cargo 45,111 1.5%
Statistics: Infraero[1] Sources: Airport Website,[2] ANAC[3]

It is operated by AENA.

Some of its facilities are shared with the Recife Air Force Base of the Brazilian Air Force.

History

Originally called Ibura Airport, the airport had its name changed to Guararapes Airport in 1948. The facility originated at the time of World War II, when a new airport was built to replace the earlier airfield, Parque do Encanta Moça. With the end of the War, the facility became strategically important as a technical and refueling stop on the route from South America to Europe.

On 18 January 1958, a new passenger terminal was inaugurated, replacing the original facility. During this time, runway 14/32 was extended from 1,800 m (5,906 ft) to 2,010 m (6,594 ft), and runway 18/36 was extended from 1,800 m to 2,400 m (7,874 ft).

In 1979, an agreement with Infraero was made in order to further develop the airport complex. The passenger terminal underwent its first major renovation in 1982 and another enlargement in 1990.

In 2004 a brand-new passenger terminal was built, including a new shopping mall, thus generating more traffic and revenue. Furthermore, a new concourse was opened in 2004 and the airport's capacity increased from 1.5 to 9 million passengers/year. Today, the runway is 3,300 meters (10,827 ft) long, the longest in Northeastern Brazil.

On 31 August 2009 Infraero unveiled a BRL 8.75 million (US$4.6 million; EUR 3.2 million) investment plan to upgrade Guararapes International Airport, focusing on the preparations for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, Recife being one of the venue cities. The investment was spent in finishing the passenger terminal renovation, installing 8 more jetways.[5] The work was completed on 1 July 2011, and the airport was then considered ready for the FIFA Cup.[6]

In February 2016, the president of Azul Airlines and the governor of Pernambuco signed an agreement to install a hub for the company at Recife airport. As of the agreement Azul went on to operate another 12 daily flights in Recife, which becomes the only city with direct flights to all capitals in the Brazilian Northeast. According to the president of the company, Antonoaldo Neves, of the approximately 1 million passengers transported by the company (until August 2016), 500 thousand made connections at Recife airport.

Previously operated by Infraero, on March 15, 2019 AENA won a 30-year concession to operate the airport.[7]

The Brazilian Integrated Air Traffic Control and Air Defense Center, section 3 (Cindacta III) is located in the vicinity of the airport.[8]

Terminal interior

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

Airlines	Destinations
Azul Brazilian Airlines	Aracaju, Belém, Belo Horizonte–Confins, Brasília, Campina Grande, Campinas, Fernando de Noronha, Fortaleza, Goiânia, João Pessoa, Juazeiro do Norte, Maceió, Mossoró (resumes 1 March 2021),[9] Natal, Petrolina, Rio de Janeiro–Santos Dumont, Salvador da Bahia, São Luís, São Paulo–Congonhas, São Paulo–Guarulhos, Teresina, Vitória
Azul Brazilian Airlines operated by Azul Conecta	Caruaru, Serra Talhada
Gol Transportes Aéreos	Brasília, Fernando de Noronha, Fortaleza, Rio de Janeiro–Galeão, Salvador da Bahia, São Paulo–Congonhas, São Paulo–Guarulhos
LATAM Brasil	Brasília, São Paulo–Guarulhos
TAP Air Portugal	Lisbon[10]

Cargo

Airlines	Destinations
Lufthansa Cargo	Campinas,[11] Curitiba,[11] Frankfurt[11]

Accidents and incidents

• 1 November 1961: a Panair do Brasil Douglas DC-7C registration PP-PDO flying from Sal to Recife, during its final approach struck an 84-m hill 2.7 km from the runway and broke up. The aircraft was doing a night approach too low and outside the regular traffic pattern. Forty-five passengers and crew out of the 88 persons aboard died.[12][13] The aircraft was operating the Voo da amizade (Friendship Flight).
• 28 July 1968: a United States Air Force Douglas C-124C Globemaster II registration 51–5178, flying from Paramaribo-Zanderij to Recife, while on approach to land at Recife, flew into a 1890 feet high hill 80 km away from Recife. The 10 occupants died.[14]
• 11 November 1991: a Nordeste Embraer EMB110P1 Bandeirante registration PT-SCU, operating flight 115 from Recife to Maceió, during on initial climb had an engine failure followed by fire. The aircraft crashed on a populated area. All 13 aircraft occupants and 2 persons on the ground died.[15][16]
• 13 July 2011: a Noar Linhas Aéreas Let L-410 Turbolet registration PR-NOB operating flight 4896 from Recife to Natal crashed shortly after take-off from Recife. All 16 occupants were killed.[17][18]

Access

The airport is located 14 km (9 mi) from downtown Recife.

The subway Airport Station is connected to the terminal by a footbridge. Main bus lines that serve the neighborhoods of Boa Viagem and Cidade Universitária in Recife and Piedade, neighborhood of Jaboatão dos Guararapes stop at the airport.

See also

• List of airports in Brazil

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.

1. "Estatísticas". Infraero (in Portuguese). 20 February 2020. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
2. "Aeroporto Internacional do Recife Gurararapes-Gilberto Freyre". Aena Brasil (in Portuguese). Retrieved 30 April 2020.
3. "Aeródromos". ANAC (in Portuguese). 15 October 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
4. "L10361". Presidência da República (in Portuguese). 27 December 2001. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
5. Rittner, Daniel; Braga, Paulo Victor (31 August 2009). "Infraero vai gastar R$5 bi em reforma de aeroportos". Valor Econômico (in Portuguese). pp. A4. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
6. "Infraero conclui obra no Aeroporto Internacional do Recife" (in Portuguese). Diário de Pernambuco. 1 July 2011. Archived from the original on 7 October 2011. Retrieved 1 July 2011.
7. "Governo obtém R$ 2,377 bilhões em concessão de aeroportos em blocos". ANAC (in Portuguese). 15 March 2019. Archived from the original on 11 May 2019. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
8. "Cindacta III" (in Portuguese). Brazilian Air Force: Departamento de Controle do Espaço Aéreo DECEA. Archived from the original on 30 July 2012. Retrieved 4 May 2011.
9. "Azul define data para voltar a operar em Mossoró, Rio Grande do Norte". Aeroin (in Portuguese). 15 December 2020. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
10. "Operação TAP: De volta a ligá-lo ao mundo". TAP Air Portugal (in Portuguese). Retrieved 15 August 2020.
11. "Schedule". Lufthansa Cargo. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
12. "Accident description PP-PDO". Aviation Safety Network. Archived from the original on 3 November 2012. Retrieved 20 May 2011.
13. Germano da Silva, Carlos Ari César (2008). "Buraco negro". 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. 197–203. ISBN 978-85-7430-760-2.
14. "Accident description 51-5178". Aviation Safety Network. Archived from the original on 3 November 2012. Retrieved 20 May 2011.
15. "Accident description PT-SCU". Aviation Safety Network. Archived from the original on 3 November 2012. Retrieved 20 May 2011.
16. Germano da Silva, Carlos Ari César (2008). "Fogo 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. 364–369. ISBN 978-85-7430-760-2.
17. "Accident description PR-NOB". Aviation Safety Network. Archived from the original on 20 August 2012. Retrieved 13 July 2011.
18. "Noar emite comunicado sobre acidente em Recife" (in Portuguese). Panrotas. 13 July 2011. Archived from the original on 20 August 2012. Retrieved 13 July 2011.

External links

• Airport information for SBRF at World Aero Data. Data current as of October 2006.Source: DAFIF.
• Airport information for SBRF at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF (effective October 2006).
• Current weather for SBRF at NOAA/NWS
• Accident history for REC at Aviation Safety Network