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Eduardo Gomes International Airport

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Airport type
  
Public

Serves
  
Greater Manaus

Elevation AMSL
  
80 m / 264 ft

Elevation
  
80 m

Passenger count
  
3,258,157

Operator
  
Infraero

Location
  
Amazonas, Brazil

Code
  
MAO

Phone
  
+55 92 3652-1210


Focus city for
  
Azul Brazilian Airlines

Address
  
Av. Santos Dumont, 1350 - Tarumã, Manaus - AM, 69041-000, Brazil

Similar
  
TAM Cargo, Avis Aluguel de Carros M, Unidas Rent A Car, Movida Aluguel de Carros, Hotel Talissa

Manaus International Airport - Eduardo Gomes (IATA: MAO, ICAO: SBEG) is the major international airport in Northern Brazil, located in the city of Manaus and the busiest in the number of international passengers this region. In cargo transport, it is the third busiest in the Brazil, behind only the airports of Guarulhos and Viracopos.

Contents

It is named after the Brazilian politician and military figure Air Marshal Eduardo Gomes (1896–1981). It is located in the west of Manaus, 8 miles from the Historic Center.

History

Manaus International Airport replaced Ponta Pelada Airport as the main public airport of Manaus in 1976. Ponta Pelada was then given the name Manaus Air Force Base and began handling exclusively military operations.

The construction of the airport began in 1972 and it was officially inaugurated on 31 March 1976. It was then the most modern airport in Brazil and the first one to operate with jet bridges. Though originally planned to be named Supersonic Airport of Manaus, it had its official name changed to Eduardo Gomes by the law 5.967 of 11 December 1973.

The airport has two passenger terminal buildings. Passenger Terminal 1 receives domestic and international flights and Passenger Terminal 2, opened on 12 March 1985, receives general aviation and some regional flights. Furthermore, the airport has three cargo terminals, opened in 1976, 1980 and 2004. They have a total area of 49,000 m² and can process up to 12,000 t/month of cargo. Cargo Terminals 1 and 2 handle goods for export and Cargo Terminal 3 for import.

The Brazilian Integrated Air Traffic Control and Air Defense Center section 4 (Cindacta IV) is located in the vicinity of the airport.

Developments

On 31 August 2009, Infraero unveiled a BRL793.5 million (USD316.1 million; EUR292.2 million) investment plan to upgrade Eduardo Gomes International Airport focusing on the preparations for the 2014 FIFA World Cup which will be held in Brazil, Manaus being one of the venue cities. The investment was invested as follows:

  • Enlargement of apron and existing runway. Construction of second runway. Value BRL600.0. Completion: July 2013
  • Enlargement and renovation of the passenger terminal. Value BRL193.5. Completion: December 2013

    • Even though the World Cup started in June 2014, the Airport's Refurbishment was not completed in time for the event, however the works being held at the Airport did not interfere in the Airport's activities throughout the World Cup.

    Passenger

    a.^ Air taxi company and airline operating regular charter flights.

    Accidents and incidents

  • 21 April 1983: three Libyan Air Force Il-76TDs landed at Manaus after one of the Il-76s developed some technical problems while crossing the Atlantic Ocean. The aircraft were then searched by the Brazilian authorities: instead of medical supplies – as quoted in the transport documentation – the crate of the first of 17 Aero L-39 Albatros light training and attack aircraft bound for Nicaragua together with arms and parachutes, to support the country's war against US-backed Contras were found. The cargo was impounded, while the transports were permitted to return to Libya.
  • 6 March 1991: a TABA Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante flying to Manaus was hijacked near São Gabriel da Cachoeira by 3 persons.
  • 15 December 1994: a TABA Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante en route from Carauari and Tefé to Manaus was hijacked by two Colombian citizens. The passengers were released in the proximity of Tabatinga and the aircraft was flown to Colombia. The crew was released at the Brazilian Embassy in Bogotá.
  • 14 May 2004: Rico Linhas Aéreas flight 4815 operated by the Embraer EMB 120ER Brasília registration PT-WRO, en route from São Paulo de Olivença and Tefé to Manaus crashed in the forest at about 18 nm from Manaus. All 33 passengers and crew died.

    • Access

    The airport is located 14 km (9 mi) north of downtown Manaus.

    References

    Eduardo Gomes International Airport Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA