The Galećo International Airport (IATA Airport Code: GIG), whose official name is also Antōnio Carlos Jobim International Airport, is Rio de Janeiro's major international airport, built in the Governator Island, 30 km away from the city's downtown, in 1952.
In 1970, already as the major Brazilian air hub, the airport administration passed to Infraero, which had been recently created by the Brazilian government. In 1977, the airport passed through a major revitalization. At the time, the airport was the Brazil's largest and received all international routes, meaning that to go to Sćo Paulo (then only with the relatively small Congonhas Domestic Airport, and the main destination of most people) needed to take a connection (a second flight). To worsen problems, Sćo Paulo always had been the main Brazilian domestic hub, so, for many major Brazilian cities, a second connection (or a third flight) was needed.
In 1985, the airport lost its importance as Brazil's major international airport to Guarulhos International Airport which caused a drop in passenger numbers. Despite that, Infraero decided to build a second terminal at a cost of $600 million US, capable of handling 7.5 million passengers annually which more than doubled the airport's capacity (7.5 to 15). Passenger numbers have been stable at about 4.5 million passengers annually. The airport, along with Confins International Airport, is considered by many to be a waste of resources, being Infraero's second most idle and money-losing airport. At the same time as the new terminal was opened, Guarulhos was overloaded, operating at 102% of its capacity, against the 24% of Galećo (Infraero was criticized for not investing resources appropriately).
The airport is a second international hub for Varig.
General Information
- Runways
- 2 terminals (in an elipse format, with 12 fingers each) capable of handling 7.5 million passengers annually
- 2003 - 4.6 million passengers (5th in Brazil)
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