Afonso Pena International Airport
Encyclopedia
Afonso Pena International Airport is the main airport serving Curitiba
, Brazil, located in the adjoining municipality of São José dos Pinhais
. It is named after Afonso Augusto Moreira Pena
(1847–1909), the 6th President of Brazil.
In 2010 the airport was ranked 10th in terms of transported passengers and 9th in terms of aircraft operations and of cargo handled in Brazil, placing it amongst the busiest airports in the country. It is operated by Infraero
.
during the Second World War. However since its construction was completed only in 1945, short before the end of the war, Afonso Pena never saw heavy military movement. In 1946 most of its movement comprised civil operations.
The original passenger terminal was in use until 1959 when a brand new terminal was built. This second terminal is today used for cargo operations. In 1996, the present passenger terminal was built.
The main problem of the airport are the unstable weather conditions of the region, particularly mist in the morning hours of winter and the fact that the auxiliary runway 11/29 is too small and plagued with old equipment. There are also plans to upgrade runway 15/33 from an ILS CAT II runway to ILS
CAT III.
Since the bottleneck for the airport is the cargo capacity, the main runway was lengthened in 2008 to allow cargo flights to operate with greater loads and the cargo terminal was upgraded.
The terminal is 26,000 m², has 6 jetways, and is capable of handling 4.5 million passengers annually. There are 800 parking places. The airport complex includes a small museum, a playcenter and a mall with 60 stores inside the main terminal.
which will be held in Brazil, Curitiba being one of the venue cities. The investiment will invested in the enlargement of the apron and implementation of taxiways with completion due in March 2011.
Curitiba
Curitiba is the capital of the Brazilian state of Paraná. It is the largest city with the biggest economy of both Paraná and southern Brazil. The population of Curitiba numbers approximately 1.75 million people and the latest GDP figures for the city surpass US$61 billion according to...
, Brazil, located in the adjoining municipality of São José dos Pinhais
São José dos Pinhais
São José dos Pinhais is a city in Paraná, Brazil. It is located at around . It is a part of the Metropolitan Region of Curitiba. St. Joseph of the Pines is a municipality in the state of Paraná, located in the Greater Curitiba. It is located at 25 ° 32'05 "south latitude and 49 º 12'23" west...
. It is named after Afonso Augusto Moreira Pena
Afonso Augusto Moreira Pena
Afonso Augusto Moreira Pena was a Brazilian politician, and president between 1906 and 1909. Before his political career, Pena was a lawyer, jurist and member of the Brazilian Supreme Court....
(1847–1909), the 6th President of Brazil.
In 2010 the airport was ranked 10th in terms of transported passengers and 9th in terms of aircraft operations and of cargo handled in Brazil, placing it amongst the busiest airports in the country. It is operated by Infraero
Infraero
Empresa Brasileira de Infraestrutura Aeroportuária, Infraero in short, is a Brazilian government corporation created in 1972 and responsible for operating the main Brazilian commercial airports. In 2009, Infraero's airports carried 128,135,616 passengers and 1,114,754 tons of cargo and operated...
.
History
As it was the case with many important Brazilian airports located in strategic points along the coast, Afonso Pena, was built by the Brazilian Air Force Ministry in partnership with the United States ArmyUnited States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
during the Second World War. However since its construction was completed only in 1945, short before the end of the war, Afonso Pena never saw heavy military movement. In 1946 most of its movement comprised civil operations.
The original passenger terminal was in use until 1959 when a brand new terminal was built. This second terminal is today used for cargo operations. In 1996, the present passenger terminal was built.
The main problem of the airport are the unstable weather conditions of the region, particularly mist in the morning hours of winter and the fact that the auxiliary runway 11/29 is too small and plagued with old equipment. There are also plans to upgrade runway 15/33 from an ILS CAT II runway to ILS
Instrument Landing System
An instrument landing system is a ground-based instrument approach system that provides precision guidance to an aircraft approaching and landing on a runway, using a combination of radio signals and, in many cases, high-intensity lighting arrays to enable a safe landing during instrument...
CAT III.
Since the bottleneck for the airport is the cargo capacity, the main runway was lengthened in 2008 to allow cargo flights to operate with greater loads and the cargo terminal was upgraded.
The terminal is 26,000 m², has 6 jetways, and is capable of handling 4.5 million passengers annually. There are 800 parking places. The airport complex includes a small museum, a playcenter and a mall with 60 stores inside the main terminal.
Passenger
Scheduled cargo
Accidents
- 16 June 1958: Cruzeiro do SulServiços Aéreos Cruzeiro do SulServiços Aéreos Cruzeiro do Sul, was the second oldest airline of Brazil, tracing its origins to 1927, when it was founded as Syndicato Condor, a subsidiary of Deutsche Luft Hansa. Syndicato Condor retained rights and interests of a former German trade company, Condor Syndikat, which previously...
, a Convair 440-59 registration PP-CEP flying from FlorianópolisHercílio Luz International AirportFlorianópolis-Hercílio Luz International Airport , is the airport serving Florianópolis, Brazil. It is named after Hercílio Pedro da Luz , 3 times Governor of Santa Catarina and senator.It is operated by Infraero....
to Curitiba was on final approach procedures to land at Curitiba when it was caught in downdrafts. The aircraft descended and struck the ground. Of the 26 passengers and crew aboard, 21 died. - 3 November 1967: Sadia, a Handley Page Dart Herald 214Handley Page Dart HeraldThe Handley Page Dart Herald was a 1950s British turboprop passenger aircraft.-Design and development:In the mid 1950s the Handley Page Aircraft Company developed a new fast short-range regional airliner, intended to replace the venerable Douglas DC-3, particularly in third-world countries...
registration PP-SDJ flying from São Paulo-Congonhas to Curitiba collided with a hill during approach to land at Curitiba. All crew and 21 passengers died, 4 passengers survived. - 26 December 2002: Brazilian Air ForceBrazilian Air ForceThe Brazilian Air Force is the air branch of the Brazilian Armed Forces and one of the three national uniformed services. The FAB was formed when the Army and Navy air branch were merged into a single military force initially called "National Air Forces"...
, an Embraer EMB 110 BandeiranteEmbraer EMB 110 BandeiranteThe Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante is a general purpose 15-21 passenger twin-turboprop light transport aircraft suitable for military and civil duties...
registration FAB-2292 en route from São Paulo-Campo de MarteCampo de Marte AirportCampo de Marte Airport is the first airport built in São Paulo, Brazil, opened in 1919. It is named after Champ de Mars, in Paris, which in turn got its name from Campus Martius, in Rome....
to Florianópolis Air Force BaseFlorianópolis Air Force BaseFlorianópolis Air Force Base – BAFL is a base of the Brazilian Air Force, located in Florianópolis, Brazil.It shares some facilities with Florianópolis-Hercílio Luz International Airport.-History:...
, crashed while trying to carry out an emergency landing at Curitiba-Afonso Pena. Reportedly, both engines had quit. The airplane had taken off with insufficient fuel on board to complete the flight to Florianópolis. Three passengers and crew of the 16 aboard died.
Incident
- 18 August 2000: VASPVASPViação Aérea São Paulo S/A, or VASP, was an airline with its head office in the VASP Building on the grounds of Congonhas-São Paulo Airport in São Paulo, Brazil...
, a Boeing 737-2A1Boeing 737The Boeing 737 is a short- to medium-range, twin-engine narrow-body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has developed into a family of nine passenger models with a capacity of 85 to 215 passengers...
registration PP-SMG en route from Foz do IguaçuFoz do Iguaçu International AirportFoz do Iguaçu/Cataratas International Airport , is the airport serving Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil. It is named after the Iguazu Falls .It is operated by Infraero.-Airlines and destinations:-Accidents and incidents:...
to Curitiba-Afonso Pena was hijacked by 5 persons with the purpose of robbing BRL 5 million (approximately USD 2.75 Million) that the aircraft was transporting. The pilot was forced to land at PorecatuPorecatu Airport-Accidents and incidents:*18 August 2000: VASP, a Boeing 737-2A1 registration PP-SMG en route from Foz do Iguaçu to Curitiba-Afonso Pena was hijacked by 5 persons with the purpose of robbing BRL 5 million that the aircraft was transporting. The pilot was forced to land at Porecatu where the...
where the hijackers fled with the money. There were no victims.
Future developments
On 31 August 2009, Infraero unveiled a BRL30 million (USD16 million; EUR11 million) investiment plan to upgrade Afonso Pena International Airport focusing on the preparations for the 2014 FIFA World Cup2014 FIFA World Cup
The 2014 FIFA World Cup will be the 20th FIFA World Cup, an international association football tournament that will take place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014....
which will be held in Brazil, Curitiba being one of the venue cities. The investiment will invested in the enlargement of the apron and implementation of taxiways with completion due in March 2011.