Chinese (Simplified) 
Chinese (Traditional) 
English 
French 
Alemão 
Italian 
Japanese 
Norwegian 
Spanish 
5 min read
2 comments
Itanhaém Airport, which once boasted heavy traffic and boosted the economy of the South Coast, now operates at a reduced pace following the transfer of Petrobras operations to Rio de Janeiro. The structure remains modern but underutilized.
Antônio Ribeiro Nogueira Júnior Airport, in Itanhaém, has already had days of intense movement, with aircraft taking off and landing at a constant pace and the local economy growing around it.
Today, however, the coastal terminal lives a very different reality.
After Petrobras' decision to concentrate flights transporting workers and supplies from the Santos Basin platforms in the state of Rio de Janeiro, the airport began operating well below its capacity.
-
The highest bridge, costing $13 billion, is scheduled for completion in 2026 and promises to revolutionize transportation, cut dangerous routes, and boost the entire region's economy.
-
In a country marked by corruption and poverty, politicians bought 40 luxury Maseratis – years later, the vehicles remain parked and rusting after having been used only once.
-
Why doesn't everyone speak the same language?
-
The world's largest stadium in 1950 was Brazilian, surpassing the 183 seats of Hampden Park and becoming the largest stadium in the world at the time, thanks to its massive architecture.
Potential of Itanhaém Airport
Located on the banks of the Padre Manoel da Nóbrega Highway, the airport opened in the middle of the last century and registered tens of thousands of operations per year.
During that period, the growth of regional aviation also boosted the city's commerce and services, attracting new companies and creating jobs.
Studies by industry entities indicate that the structure could meet more than 100 thousand passengers per year, considering the size of the runway and the regional flow.
However, the current number of arrivals and departures represents only a fraction of this potential.
The terminal, which managed to move around 19 passengers at its peak, today it operates almost as a ghost airport, limited to executive and training flights.
Petrobras' decision changed the scenario
Petrobras' logistical reconfiguration changed the scenario forever.
When transferring to Rio de Janeiro airports — such as Maricá e Jacarepagua — operations linked to the Santos Basin, the company drastically reduced the volume of flights in Itanhaém.
The state-owned company states that the redistribution of air bases aims to optimize safety and operational efficiency, continuously evaluating the logistical needs of its offshore units.
As a result, workers' commutes became longer and more costly.
Employees who live in Baixada Santista now need to travel to Congonhas, in São Paulo, and from there embark for Rio de Janeiro.
Outsourced workers, in turn, travel by land to the cities of Rio de Janeiro where shipments to the platforms take place.
Economic impacts on the South Coast
The impact on the city's economy was immediate.
Hotels, restaurants, and small service providers, which previously depended on the flow of professionals linked to the oil industry, saw their business decline precipitously.
In a statement, the City of Itanhaém recognizes that Petrobras' decision caused direct losses to hotel chain, commerce and service provision.
The absence of regular flights also slowed private investment in the airport's surroundings.
Businesspeople in the aviation and logistics sector point out that runway idleness represents a waste of infrastructure in one of the regions with the greatest tourist and industrial potential on the coast of São Paulo.
Ready structure, but without commercial use
The airport underwent renovations and received significant investments both from Petrobras and the state government.
Millions of reais were invested in security, signage and improvements to the passenger terminal.
The management of the space was transferred to the Fly SP Network, a concessionaire that manages other regional airports in São Paulo.
With a runway that can accommodate medium-sized aircraft — such as Boeing 737 —, the terminal has the technical conditions to operate commercial flights with up to 100 passengers.
Even so, the lack of corporate demand and regular routes keeps the location underutilized.
According to Rede Voa's administration, the airport remains active for general aviation, helicopters and air taxis, but without enough volume to resume the routine of the more prosperous years.
Oil industry and regional emptying
For representatives of National Federation of Oil Workers, the decline in operations is linked not only to Petrobras' logistical choices, but also to the reduction in production requirements local content in the oil chain.
According to Secretary General Adaedson Costa, when there was a requirement to contract Brazilian services, activity in Itanhaém was intense and there were projections for expansion.
With the end of this policy, the company concentrated its bases in other states and emptied part of its São Paulo operations.
This change in industrial policy affected the economic dynamics of the region, which lost contracts, suppliers and indirect jobs linked to the naval and aviation sectors.
The centralization of activities in Rio also took part of the revenue and investment that previously remained on the South Coast of São Paulo.
Uncertain future and dormant potential
Airline industry experts say the airport has all technical conditions to resume large operations, should new corporate or tourist demand arise.
The growth of regional aviation in São Paulo and the development of nearby logistics hubs may rekindle companies' interest in using the facility.
Meanwhile, the terminal continues to operate modestly, supported by private flights, training and maintenance.
The landscape, once marked by Petrobras helicopters crossing the sky towards the pre-salt layer, is now quieter, symbolizing a change of cycle in the city's economy.
Petrobras, in turn, maintains the position that it periodically reviews its air transport network and that any base expansion depends on technical and safety criteria.
The city council and local entities are still looking for alternatives to attract new investments and diversify the use of space.
Given the logistical potential and available infrastructure, what would it take for Itanhaém Airport to take off again and recover the movement that once drove the entire region?
It's difficult for a plane to fly over here in Itanhaém: that's what happens when the economy is decentralized, because it only serves individual interests and the whole suffers. But God is great, and so is Petrobras!
This is what happens: the centralization of resources in the south-southeast region of the country. Worst of all, the resources invested in these regions are wasted. Resources that could be invested in other regions, such as the northeast and north, this side of the country so forgotten by our rulers. This is absurd! Only the south-southeast regions are entitled to these benefits. From Fortaleza to Ceará.