How Brazil Built Guarulhos International Airport in São Paulo: It's the Largest Airport in Latin America

How Brazil Built Guarulhos International Airport in São Paulo: It’s the Largest Airport in Latin America

Written by Bruno Teles

Published on 08/01/2024 at 18:12

Updated on 08/01/2024 at 18:21

Foto: Divulgação/Aeroporto Internacional de Guarulhos – São Paulo

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The International Airport of Guarulhos, in São Paulo, establishes itself as the largest airport in Latin America, with a history of expansion and modernization that reflects the growth of Brazilian aviation.

The idea of a new airport in São Paulo emerged in 1947, due to excessive traffic at Congonhas Airport, which recorded around 400 daily flights. Initially, several areas were analyzed, including Ibiuna and Calcaia do Alto, but the location in Guarulhos was chosen for offering lower expropriation costs and better strategic benefits for the construction of the International Airport of Guarulhos, now the largest airport in Latin America.

In 1976, the Minister of Aeronautics and the state government of São Paulo signed an agreement for the development of the new airport. Guarulhos was selected as the ideal location, receiving a donation of 10 km² from the São Paulo airbase for the project.

Initial Challenges and Construction

The initial works began in 1980, with the construction of a 3,000-meter runway and a terminal for 7.5 million passengers per year. The consortium Camargo Correa and Constran was responsible for the execution, facing delays and doubling the expected time for the completion of the first phase.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW

Privatization and Management

In 2011, the Brazilian government decided to privatize the management of the airport, with the consortium Invepar and Airports Company South Africa taking over the administration for 20 years after winning the auction with a bid of R$ 16.2 billion.

Investments and Modernization

New investments included the construction of a parking garage with 2,600 new spaces, renovations of the runways and boarding bridges, and certification for Airbus A380 operations, starting regular flights in 2017.

With a capacity for 40 million passengers per year, Guarulhos Airport became a crucial hub for air traffic in the region, reflecting the growth and modernization of Brazil’s airport infrastructure.

The International Airport of Guarulhos is an example of how Brazil overcame challenges and made significant investments to build large-scale airport infrastructure, meeting the growing demands of air transport and reinforcing its position in Latin America.

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How Brazil Built Guarulhos International Airport in São Paulo: It’s the Largest Airport in Latin America

The International Airport of Guarulhos, in São Paulo, establishes itself as the largest airport in Latin America, with a history of expansion and modernization that reflects the growth of Brazilian aviation.

Initial Challenges and Construction

Privatization and Management

Investments and Modernization

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How Brazil Built Guarulhos International Airport in São Paulo: It’s the Largest Airport in Latin America

The International Airport of Guarulhos, in São Paulo, establishes itself as the largest airport in Latin America, with a history of expansion and modernization that reflects the growth of Brazilian aviation.

Initial Challenges and Construction

Privatization and Management

Investments and Modernization

Engineers want to carve through Africa with a giant canal to bring water from the world’s second-largest river to a dying lake on the edge of the Sahara Desert that has already lost 90% of its water.

Brazil filled the Northeast with wind turbines but now faces the side effect of 705 giant blades reaching the end of their lifespan by 2032 just in Rio Grande do Norte, while the world projects 43 million tons of waste by 2050.

India approved the country’s first submerged road-rail tunnel, 15.8 kilometers dug under the bed of the Brahmaputra River.

Instead of burning or burying old tires, an American city is transforming about 2,000 of them into the street itself, paving its first sections with a quieter and more durable rubber asphalt.

In just one cast, fishermen are surprised to capture 14,096 mullets in Bombinhas and close a historic season with 58,000 fish; scene recorded in the Santa Catarina paradise marks the last day of the 2026 season.

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