Salgado Filho International Airport Aeroporto Internacional Salgado Filho
Salgado Filho International Airport
IATA: POA – ICAO: SBPA
Summary
Airport type		Public
Operator		Infraero
Serves		Porto Alegre
Elevation AMSL		11 ft / 3 m
Coordinates		29°59′40″S 51°10′17″W / 29.99444°S 51.17139°W / -29.99444; -51.17139
Website		Infraero POA
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
	ft	m
11/29	7,481	2,280	Asphalt
Statistics (2009)
Passengers			5,607,703
Aircraft Operations			79,104
Metric tonnes of cargo			21,817
Statistics: Infraero Sources: Airport Website

TAM Airlines and Gol Transportes Aéreos airliners at Salgado Filho

Salgado Filho International Airport (IATA: POA, ICAO: SBPA) is the airport serving Porto Alegre, Brazil. It is named after the Senator and first Minister of the Brazilian Air Force Joaquim Pedro Salgado Filho (1888-1950), killed on June 20, 1950 in an accident with an aircraft which departed from Porto Alegre.

In 2009, the airport was ranked 7 in terms of transported passengers, 9 in terms of aircraft operations, and 10 in terms of cargo handled in Brazil, placing it amongst the busiest airports in the country. It is operated by Infraero.

History

Salgado Filho was originally called São João Airport, after the neighborhood where it is located. In the beginning it was an air club, where the first flights landed on May 31, 1923.

In 1932, needing a facility to use its aircraft with landing-gear which were replacing its seaplanes, Varig started using São João Airport as its operational base. However, it was only in 1940 that the first passenger terminal was inaugurated.

On October 12, 1951, São João Airport was renamed Salgado Filho Airport, after the Senator and Minister who died the year before on a crash involving a SAVAG aircraft that departed from Porto Alegre.

In 1953 the old terminal was incorporated into the maintenance facilities of Varig and a new passenger terminal was opened. This new terminal is presently known as Passenger Terminal 2. It underwent major renovations and enlargements between 1969 and 1971 but unable to cope with the increasing traffic, another brand new facility was built. It was named Passenger Terminal 1 and inaugurated on September 11, 2001. Terminal 2 became underused by general aviation and cargo services.

However, in order to cope with the increasing passenger traffic at the airport, on September 8, 2010 a decision was made to renovate Terminal 2 and bring it back into passenger use.

The total area of the Salgado Filho Airport is about 3,805,810.04 m² with 142,750 m² of ramp area. Terminal 1 has 37,600 m² and 16 gates with jetways. Terminal 2 has 15,540 m². In front of terminal 1 there is a carpark with 1,440 places. Terminal 1 is the first facility in Latin America with a shopping mall.

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

Currently all passenger flights operate from Terminal 1

a.^ Airline operating regular charter flights.

Cargo

• ABSA - Aerolinhas Brasileiras
• LAN Cargo

Accidents and incidents

Major accidents involving fatalities

• 28 February 1942: Varig, the Junkers Ju-52/3m registration PP-VAL crashed shortly after take-off from Porto Alegre. Six of the 21 occupants died, including 2 crew members.
• 2 August 1949: Varig, a Curtiss C-46AD-10-CU Commando registration PP-VBI operating a flight from São Paulo-Congonhas Airport to Porto Alegre made an emergency landing on rough terrain near the location of Jaquirana, approximatelly 20 minutes before landing in Porto Alegre, following fire on the cargo hold. Of the 36 passenger and crew aboard, 5 died.
• 20 June 1950: SAVAG, a Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar registration PP-SAA, flying between Porto Alegre and São Borja, while flying in bad weather collided against a hill, caught fire and crashed near the location of São Francisco de Assis. All 12 occupants died, including the founder of SAVAG and pilot, Gustavo Kraemer, and Joaquim Pedro Salgado Filho, senator and first Minister of Air Force in Brazil.
• 28 July 1950: Panair do Brasil, a Lockheed L-049 Constellation registration PP-PCG flying from Rio de Janeiro-Santos Dumont to Porto Alegre struck power lines and crashed on a hill after running out of fuel while holding in bad weather near São Leopoldo. All 50 passengers and crew died.
• 14 October 1952: Aerovias Brasil, a Douglas C-47-DL registration PP-AXJ operated by Real Transportes Aéreos, en route from Rio de Janeiro-Santos Dumont to Porto Alegre struck high ground while flying under adverse conditions over the location of São Francisco de Paula. Of the 18 passengers and crew aboard, 14 died.
• 4 June 1954: Varig, a Curtiss C-46A-45-CU Commando registration PP-VBZ operating a cargo flight between São Paulo-Congonhas Airport and Porto Alegre crashed during take-off from São Paulo. All crew of 3 died.
• 7 April 1957: Varig, a Curtiss C-46A-45-CU Commando registration PP-VCF operating a flight from Bagé to Porto Alegre crashed during take-off in Bagé following a fire developed in the left main gear wheel well and consequent technical difficulties. All 40 passenger and crew died.
• 17 July 2007: TAM Airlines flight 3054, an Airbus A320 registration PR-MBK, flying from Porto Alegre to São Paulo-Congonhas overran the runway while landing at Congonhas, crossed a major thoroughfare and impacted against a TAM Express warehouse. All 186 passengers and crew perished. 198 bodies were recovered from the crash site, including passengers, crew and people that were working at the warehourse.

Incident

• 30 May 1972: Varig, a Lockheed L-188 Electra operating a flight between São Paulo-Congonhas to Porto Alegre was hijacked. The hijacker demanded money. The aircraft was stormed and the hijacker shot.

Access

The airport is located 6 km (≈3.5 mi) from Porto Alegre downtown.

Taxi and bus services are available to and from Terminal 1. In front of Terminal 2 there is a station of the Porto Alegre subway, which connects the airport to Porto Alegre downtown and to other cities in the greater Porto Alegre metropolitan area.

Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 (presently used for general aviation) are connected by a frequent shuttle service.

Future developments

On 31 August 2009, Infraero unveiled a BRL122 million (USD64.3 million; EUR45 million) investiment plan to up-grade Salgado Filho International Airport focusing on the preparations for the 2014 FIFA World Cup which will be held in Brazil, Porto Alegre being one of the venue cities. The investiment will be used in the extension of the runway with completion due in July 2012.

In order to face the increasing demand in traffic, on September 8, 2010 it was decided that Terminal 2, the original passenger terminal and presently used for cargo operations, will be re-activated as a passenger terminal. Renovation works are expected to end by June 2011.

The content above was published at Airports-Worldwide.com in 2010.
We don't guarantee the information is fresh and accurate. The data may be wrong or outdated.
For more up-to-date information please refer to other sources.