Rio and São Paulo each have a large international airport, far from the center, like all major cities in the world. But the two cities also have their domestic airport, located in the city center. Everyone has the face of their city, everyone has their own personality.
Santos-Dumont et Congonhas
Rio’s Santos-Dumont Airport (named after the Brazilian aviation pioneer) was built in the 1930s on land taken from Guanabara Bay, on the edge of downtown. At the same time, that of Congonhas, in São Paulo, is installed in the middle of the city, on a flattened hill, in the middle of the residential districts of houses and skyscrapers.
In both cases, take-off and landing are spectacular, with strong emotions guaranteed! In Rio, we most often take off facing the “Sugar Loaf”, which we avoid with a wing tack. Landing “on the water” offers a long scenic flight over Guanabara Bay, framed by mountains. The one in São Paulo is a little stressful because it feels like flying in the middle of the city and slaloming between buildings, before suddenly emerging on the track. At night, the view of this illuminated urban immensity is impressive.
These airports are very sensitive to the weather. In the event of fog (frequent in winter) or particularly heavy rain, they are closed: aquaplaning would not forgive. Flights are then diverted to international airports. You can imagine the confusion of air traffic for a few hours! Their tracks are short and the braking is more than brutal. Some planes only land there if their brakes are carbon reinforced. A TAM Airbus failed to brake at Congonhas in 2006: 200 dead. The winds are capricious in both cities and pilots regularly have to try twice to ensure a safe landing.
Each airport has its own interest, its own charm. With its huge bay window, the Santos-Dumont departure hall offers a unique and wonderful view of Guanabara Bay, with the city of Niteroi opposite. We better support the frequent expectations. In Congonhas, it is the intense and continuous swarming of this airport that fascinates: this “small” airport (in size) welcomes more than 20 million passengers each year!
Leaving Santos-Dumont, you can reach downtown Rio on foot or take the new tram. In Congonhas, one is condemned to the taxi and to plunge into the monstrous Paulista traffic.
Air lift
Of course, the exchanges between the two capitals are intense: there are more than 120 flights a day in both directions between Santos-Dumont and Congonhas. We talk about an “air bridge”, even if it hasn’t been a real air bridge for a long time, when passengers boarded the first available flight. They are mostly business passengers, but we are sometimes surprised to see tourists in Carioca uniform (T-shirt, shorts and Havaianas) or famous artists (especially from the Globo) commuting.
A short hour flight, along the coast from Rio to São Paulo: when the weather is nice, it’s a great show! But if you have time, do it by road. The Rio-Santos road slips between sea and mountains; it passes through the small colonial town of Paraty and magnificent beaches. Undoubtedly the most beautiful road in Brazil. You will return by the air bridge for other emotions!