If passengers who use São Paulo’s air terminals complain about the services offered, there are already airports in Brazil that are included in the rankings of the best terminals in the world, when it comes to punctuality and space for passengers.
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AirHelp, a company that protects passengers whose flights are cancelled, delayed or overcrowded, annually lists the best and worst airports, comparing 4,000 terminals. In 2023, four Brazilians appeared among the ten best on the planet, all under private management.
The best ranked Brazilians are Recife (PE), Brasília, Belém and Belo Horizonte. The ranking takes into account factors such as punctuality and customer feedback on circulation, food and shopping options.
Ranking of the best airports — Photo: Criação O Globo
The survey showed that passengers from large capitals around the world, such as London and Atlanta, also face poor services in their terminals. And even units that received large investments continue to have poor positions in the ranking.
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Atlanta airport in the United States came in 55th place, while Heathrow in London came in 163rd. New York’s JFK and La Guardia, which just underwent an $8 billion renovation, ranked 106th and 70th, respectively.
— The travel experience is not the exclusive responsibility of airlines, but also of airports — declared Tomasz Pawliszyn, CEO of AirHelp.
Congonhas: See notable facts about the airport’s history
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Congonhas Airport was opened in the mid-1930s and is located in the south of São Paulo. In the 1958 photo, movement of passengers and aircraft — Archive/Agência O Globo 2 of 10
In 1981, the Congonhas terminal began to be managed by Infraero — Photo: Antonio Moura/Agência O Globo/1-2-1983 Skip
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On October 31, 1996, TAM’s Fokker 100 took off from Congonhas Airport to Santos Dumont Airport, in Rio. Technical problems led to the crash of the aircraft. In the accident, 96 passengers and crew died and three more people on the ground — José Luís da Conceição/Agência O Globo 4 of 10
After the accident, the so-called slot systems (landing and take-off rights) were adopted — Photo: Edilson Dantas Pular X de 10
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Another accident marks the airport’s history: this time, in July 2007, with a TAM Airbus. When trying to land, the aircraft was unable to brake, exceeded the limits of the runway, glided over Avenida Washington Luís and collided with the TAM Express building and a gas station — Photo: Archive/Wladimir de Souza/Diário de SP 6 de 10
In the accident with TAM flight 3054, all 187 passengers and crew on board the aircraft and 12 more people on the ground died — Photo: Arquivo/Agência O Globo Pular
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In 2008, by determination of the National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC), the airport stopped operating international executive aviation flights and was officially renamed São Paulo/Congonhas Airport. — Photo: Marcos Alves/Agencia o Globo 8 of 10
Congonhas was once the busiest in the country, but lost its position to the Guarulhos terminal, in the metropolitan region of São Paulo, which started to receive part of the national and all international flights — Photo: Maria Isabel Oliveira/ Agência O Globo Skip X of 10
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Before the pandemic, 22 million people embarked or disembarked at the terminal, making it one of the most profitable in Brazil. — Photo: Maria Isabel Oliveira/ Agência O Globo. 10 out of 10
Considered the ‘crown jewel’ in the hands of Infraero, Congonha airport goes to auction this Thursday and received only one offer – Photo: Edilson Dantas/Agência O GLOBO Skip
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Opened in 1930, the terminal, considered the “crown jewel” in the hands of Infraero, only received one offer
Recife airport was granted in March 2019 and is managed by the Spanish company Aena, the same company that began operating Congonhas. The terminal is the busiest in the Northeast, with 700 thousand passengers per month. Last year, its operational capacity was expanded by 60% and the area by 40%.
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In 2012, Inframerica, from Corporación América Airports, one of the largest operators in the world, took over the management of Brasília airport. In 2014, the year of the World Cup in Brazil, the South and North piers and new departure lounges were opened.
The terminal increased from 60 thousand square meters to 110 thousand square meters and the capacity of the aircraft apron increased by 67%. It has the largest runway capacity in the country, capable of receiving an aircraft every 54 seconds, in addition to being the only one to operate simultaneous and independent parallel runways.
Landing in paradise: see images of the beautiful airports in the Maldives
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Surrounded by the turquoise sea on all sides, the runway at Madivaru Airport, in the Maldives, is 1,200 meters long and runs from end to end on the island Reproduction 2 of 10
In front of the passenger terminal there is a small marina, where boats dock that connect Madivaru Airport with other islands and resortsReproduction Skip X of 10
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Madivaru Airport, on Lhaviyani atoll, in the Maldives, opened in FebruaryReproduction 4 of 10
Hoarafushi Airport, on Haa Alif Atoll, opened in 2020 and is a beautiful example of domestic airports built on uninhabited islands in the MaldivesReproduction Skip X of 10
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A large plane lands at Ibrahim Nasir International Airport, also called Velana, in Malé, the capital of the Maldives IslandsReproduction 6 of 10
Trans Maldivian aircraft at the seaplane terminal at Malé airport, capital of the MaldivesReproduction Skip
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Gan International Airport, the second largest in the Maldives, is also facing the seaReproduction 8 of 10
Built in the 1950s by the British Air Force, the airport is on the island of Gan, in the Addu atoll, the southernmost countryReproduction Skip X of 10
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Kulhudhuffushi Airport, Haa Dhaalu Atoll, MaldivesReproduction 10 of
Ifuru Airport, on Raa Atoll, in the Maldives IslandsReproduction Skip X of 10
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Landing in paradise: see images of the beautiful airports in the Maldives
Norte da Amazônia Airports (NOA), a concessionaire formed by Socicam and Dix Empreendimentos, won the concession for the Belém terminal in 2022. Work is already underway to adapt the terminal’s runways and the surrounding road structure, in addition to expanding the terminal of passengers. Belém will host COP 30, the annual United Nations climate conference, in 2025, and works will be brought forward.
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BH Airport, concessionaire of the terminal in the capital of Minas Gerais since 2014, is formed by CCR and Zurich Airport, operator of Zurich Airport. In ten years, the terminal modernized its infrastructure and functions as a shopping mall, with more than 90 commercial operations. It is the most punctual in the Americas and the fourth in the world.
Claudio Frischtak, founder of the Inter.B consultancy, assesses that the concession processes of the 58 Brazilian airports were, in general, well done, but points out that the current failures cannot be credited solely to the management of the terminals.
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They arise from problems involving concessionaires, airlines and the public sector. Air transport companies, for example, have been operating at their limit, both in terms of personnel and equipment.
— The resumption of flight demand was reasonably sudden after the pandemic and is still causing a series of problems for aviation companies and airports. Where there were weaknesses in some of these airports, this process became more acute — said Frischtak.
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On the other hand, the main chronic problem at Brazilian airports is related to mobility, whether access by car or public transport. Globally, London airports serve as an example, according to the consultant, in terms of access. In technological terms, Chinese airports are the reference, said Frischtak.
Passengers themselves see the quality of services. Financial director Rafael Uesato, who travels every week between Brasília and São Paulo, assesses that, even at peak times, the terminal in the federal capital can usually handle demand:
— Brasília Airport has an issue that is its length, which is a problem for those who have mobility difficulties, but it is very well structured. On Thursdays, when the flow of people is greater, it still works well. Sometimes there is a bit of a queue at the x-rays, but other than that, there are no major problems.
*Guilherme Muniz, reporter for CBN São Paulo