Pampulha Domestic Airport
Encyclopedia
Pampulha-Carlos Drummond de Andrade Airport is an airport serving Belo Horizonte
, Brazil
, located in the neighborhood of Pampulha
. Since December 16, 2004 the airport is also named after the Minas Gerais-born
poet Carlos Drummond de Andrade
(1902-1987).
The airport is operated by Infraero
.
between Rio de Janeiro
and Fortaleza
. The first commercial operation started in 1936, when Panair do Brasil
was granted a concession to fly between Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte.
In 1943 the runway was extended to 1,500m x 45m, in 1953 to 1,700m, and finally in 1961 to 2,505m.
Since 1973 the airport is operated by Infraero.
With the great increase of traffic at Pampulha Airport, the facility became too small and unable to handle all operations. For this reason, the new Tancredo Neves International Airport
was built in the adjoining municipality of Confins
. The new facility was opened in 1984.
However, due to the long distance between Belo Horizonte and Confins, Pampulha remained the airport of choice for most airlines and Confins was under-used. In order to revert this scenario, in March 2005 the government of the state of Minas Gerais
with the support of agencies of the Federal government decided to restrict Pampulha to operations of aircraft with capacity of up to 50 passengers. In the months thereafter, most operations were forced to move to Confins and Pampulha gained a new vocation as a hub for intrastate and inter-adjoining states flights and general aviation.
which will be held in Brazil, Belo Horizonte being one of the venue cities. The investiment will be distributed as follows:
Belo Horizonte
Belo Horizonte is the capital of and largest city in the state of Minas Gerais, located in the southeastern region of Brazil. It is the third largest metropolitan area in the country...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, located in the neighborhood of Pampulha
Pampulha
Pampulha is a man-made lagoon located in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. It is also the name of the surrounding residential neighborhood and is one of the city's administrative regions....
. Since December 16, 2004 the airport is also named after the Minas Gerais-born
Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais is one of the 26 states of Brazil, of which it is the second most populous, the third richest, and the fourth largest in area. Minas Gerais is the Brazilian state with the largest number of Presidents of Brazil, the current one, Dilma Rousseff, being one of them. The capital is the...
poet Carlos Drummond de Andrade
Carlos Drummond de Andrade
Carlos Drummond de Andrade was perhaps the most influential Brazilian poet of the 20th century. He has become something of a national poet; his poem "Canção Amiga" was printed on the 50 cruzados note...
(1902-1987).
The airport 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
Pampulha Airport was opened in 1933 as a support facility for the passenger flights operated by the Brazilian Air ForceBrazilian Air Force
The 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"...
between Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
and Fortaleza
Fortaleza
Fortaleza is the state capital of Ceará, located in Northeastern Brazil. With a population close to 2.5 million , Fortaleza is the 5th largest city in Brazil. It has an area of and one of the highest demographic densities in the country...
. The first commercial operation started in 1936, when Panair do Brasil
Panair do Brasil
Panair do Brasil is a defunct airline of Brazil. Between 1945 and 1965 it was considered to be the largest carrier not only in Brazil but in all of Latin America.-NYRBA do Brasil :...
was granted a concession to fly between Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte.
In 1943 the runway was extended to 1,500m x 45m, in 1953 to 1,700m, and finally in 1961 to 2,505m.
Since 1973 the airport is operated by Infraero.
With the great increase of traffic at Pampulha Airport, the facility became too small and unable to handle all operations. For this reason, the new Tancredo Neves International Airport
Tancredo Neves International Airport
Tancredo Neves International Airport , formerly called Confins International Airport, is the main airport serving Belo Horizonte, Brazil, located in the adjoining municipality of Confins...
was built in the adjoining municipality of Confins
Confins
Confins is a Brazilian municipality located in the state of Minas Gerais. Its population as of 2006 is estimated to be 5,802 people. The area of the municipality is 42.008 km². The city belongs to the mesoregion Metropolitana de Belo Horizonte and to the microregion of Belo Horizonte...
. The new facility was opened in 1984.
However, due to the long distance between Belo Horizonte and Confins, Pampulha remained the airport of choice for most airlines and Confins was under-used. In order to revert this scenario, in March 2005 the government of the state of Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais is one of the 26 states of Brazil, of which it is the second most populous, the third richest, and the fourth largest in area. Minas Gerais is the Brazilian state with the largest number of Presidents of Brazil, the current one, Dilma Rousseff, being one of them. The capital is the...
with the support of agencies of the Federal government decided to restrict Pampulha to operations of aircraft with capacity of up to 50 passengers. In the months thereafter, most operations were forced to move to Confins and Pampulha gained a new vocation as a hub for intrastate and inter-adjoining states flights and general aviation.
Airlines and destinations
Accidents and incidents
- 27 September 1946: Panair do BrasilPanair do BrasilPanair do Brasil is a defunct airline of Brazil. Between 1945 and 1965 it was considered to be the largest carrier not only in Brazil but in all of Latin America.-NYRBA do Brasil :...
, a Douglas DC-3-228DDouglas DC-3The Douglas DC-3 is an American fixed-wing propeller-driven aircraft whose speed and range revolutionized air transport in the 1930s and 1940s. Its lasting impact on the airline industry and World War II makes it one of the most significant transport aircraft ever made...
registration PP-PCH flying from Belo Horizonte-Pampulha to Rio de Janeiro-Santos Dumont crashed into a mountain near the location of Alto Rio Doce. All 25 passengers and crew died. - 31 May 1954: Transportes Aéreos NacionalTransportes Aéreos NacionalTransportes Aéreos Nacional was a Brazilian airline founded in 1946. It was merged into Varig in 1961, when Varig bought the Consórcio Real-Aerovias-Nacional, of which Transportes Aéreos Nacional was one of the partners.-History:...
, a Douglas DC-3/C-47A-80-DLDouglas DC-3The Douglas DC-3 is an American fixed-wing propeller-driven aircraft whose speed and range revolutionized air transport in the 1930s and 1940s. Its lasting impact on the airline industry and World War II makes it one of the most significant transport aircraft ever made...
registration PP-ANO en route from Governador ValadaresGovernador Valadares AirportCoronel Altino Machado de Oliveira Airport is the airport serving Governador Valadares, Brazil.-Airlines and destinations:-Accidents and incidents:...
to Belo Horizonte-Pampulha strayed off course and struck Mount Cipó in cloudy conditions. All 19 passengers and crew died. - 24 June 1960: Real Transportes AéreosReal Transportes AéreosReal Transportes Aéreos was a Brazilian airline founded in 1945. It was merged into Varig in 1961, when Varig bought the Consórcio Real-Aerovias-Nacional, of which Real was the main carrier....
, a Convair CV-340-62 registration PP-YRB, flying from Belo Horizonte-Pampulha to Rio de Janeiro-Santos Dumont crashed into Guanabara BayGuanabara BayGuanabara Bay is an oceanic bay located in southeastern Brazil in the state of Rio de Janeiro. On its western shore lies the city of Rio de Janeiro, and on its eastern shore the cities of Niterói and São Gonçalo. Four other municipalities surround the bay's shores...
in the vicinity of Rio de Janeiro-Galeão due to unknown causes. All 54 passengers and crew died. - 22 December 1962: VarigVarigVARIG was the first airline founded in Brazil, in 1927. From 1965 until 1990 it was Brazil's leading and almost only international airline...
, a Convair CV-240-2 registration PP-VCQ flying from Belo Horizonte-Pampulha to BrasíliaBrasília International AirportBrasília-Presidente Juscelino Kubitschek International Airport is the airport serving Brasília, Brazil. Since April 22, 1999 the airport is named after Juscelino Kubitschek de Oliveira , the 21st President of Brazil....
descended below the prescribed altitude while on final approach to Brasília, struck trees, skidded and fell to one side. One crew member died. - 23 October 1973: 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 NAMC YS-11A-211NAMC YS-11The NAMC YS-11 is a turboprop airliner built by a Japanese consortium, the Nihon Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation. The program was initiated by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry in 1954, the aircraft was rolled out in 1962, and production ceased in 1974.-Development and design:In...
registration PP-SMJ, flying from Rio de Janeiro-Santos Dumont to Belo Horizonte-Pampulha airport, during an aborted take-off over-run the runway and slid into Guanabara BayGuanabara BayGuanabara Bay is an oceanic bay located in southeastern Brazil in the state of Rio de Janeiro. On its western shore lies the city of Rio de Janeiro, and on its eastern shore the cities of Niterói and São Gonçalo. Four other municipalities surround the bay's shores...
. Of the 65 passengers and crew, 8 passengers died.
Future developments
On 31 August 2009, Infraero unveiled a BRL8.4 million (USD4.4 million; EUR3.1 million) investiment plan to up-grade Pampulha 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, Belo Horizonte being one of the venue cities. The investiment will be distributed as follows:
- New control tower. Value 5.6. Completion: originally November 2010; post-poned to the end of 2012
- Upgrade of general aviation hangars. Value 1.2. Completion: July 2013
- Enlargement of the apron. Value 1.6. Completion: July 2013