Greater Natal International Airport

Rio Grande do Norte/São Gonçalo do Amarante–Governador Aluízio Alves International Airport (IATA: NAT, ICAO: SBSG) is an international airport serving Natal, located in the municipality of São Gonçalo do Amarante, in the state of Rio Grande do Norte.^[5]

Rio Grande do Norte/São Gonçalo do Amarante–Governador Aluízio Alves International Airport Aeroporto Internacional do Rio Grande do Norte/São Gonçalo do Amarante–Governador Aluízio Alves
Landside terminal building in 2022
IATA: NAT ICAO: SBSG LID: RN0001
Summary
Airport type	Public
Operator	Inframérica (2011–2023) Zurich Airport Brasil (2023–present)
Serves	Natal
Location	São Gonçalo do Amarante, Brazil
Opened	31 May 2014; 11 years ago (2014-05-31)
Time zone	BRT (UTC−03:00)
Elevation AMSL	83 m / 272 ft
Coordinates	05°46′08″S 035°21′59″W
Website	natal-airport.com
Map
NAT Location in Brazil
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 12/30 3,000 9,842 Asphalt
Statistics (2024)
Passengers 2,030,084 Aircraft operations 16,967
Statistics: Zurich Airport Brasil[1] Sources: Airport Website,[2] ANAC,[3] DECEA[4]

The airport is operated by Zurich Airport Brasil.

History

The airport was built to replace Augusto Severo International Airport. In 1998, Infraero started the planning and construction of the airport. In 2011 the concession of the unfinished facility was auctioned and the winner would have to finish its construction, including the terminal building and control tower.^[6] The project envisaged an intermodal airport, focusing both on passenger and cargo transportation.^[7] The complex was expected to have the highest aircraft traffic in the North East of Brazil.^[8]

On May 12, 2011, the National Civil Aviation Agency of Brazil (ANAC) released a document opening the concession of the unfinished airport to private entrepreneurs.^[9] The auction to choose the winner took place on August 22, 2011,^[10] and the winner was Consortium Inframérica, which is formed by the Brazilian Engineering Group Engevix (50%) and the Argentinean Group Corporación América (50%). The latter operates 52 airports in seven countries.^[11][12] In 2013, it was decreed that the name of the airport would be inspired in part from former governor of the state of Rio Grande do Norte Aluízio Alves.^[13]

Consortium Inframérica was given three years to build the passenger and cargo terminals, and was authorized to commercially exploit the facility for 25 years. Differently from other Brazilian airports in the process of privatization, in which the state operator Infraero retained 49% of the shares, in the case of Natal Consortium Inframérica got 100% of the shares and Infraero held no participation.

The airport opened for operations on May 31, 2014, when airlines moved their domestic operations to the facility. International operations were moved a few days later.^[14] The airport is the first in Brazil operated by a private sector company.^[15]

On March 10, 2021, it was announced that the National Civil Aviation Agency of Brazil had approved a new concession process for the airport, as per request from Consortium Inframérica made on March 5, 2020.^[16] On May 19, 2023, Zurich Airport Brasil won a 30-year concession to operate the airport.^[17]

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

Airlines	Destinations
Azul Brazilian Airlines	Belo Horizonte–Confins, Campina Grande, Campinas, Recife, São Paulo–Congonhas Seasonal: Bauru/Arealva,[citation needed] Cascavel,[citation needed] Presidente Prudente,[citation needed] Ribeirão Preto,[citation needed] São José do Rio Preto,[citation needed] São Paulo–Guarulhos,[citation needed] Uberlândia[citation needed]
Gol Linhas Aéreas	Brasília, Buenos Aires–Aeroparque, Rio de Janeiro–Galeão, Salvador da Bahia, São Paulo–Congonhas, São Paulo–Guarulhos Seasonal: Campinas,[citation needed] Curitiba[citation needed]
JetSmart Argentina	Buenos Aires–Ezeiza (begins 30 December 2025)[18]
LATAM Brasil	Brasília, Fortaleza, São Paulo–Congonhas, São Paulo–Guarulhos
TAP Air Portugal	Lisbon

Statistics

Airport still under construction in 2014

Transit hall in 2015

Following is the number of passenger, aircraft and cargo movements at the airport, according to Inframérica (2014-2022) and Zurich Airport Brasil (2024) reports:^[19][1]

Year	Passenger	Aircraft	Cargo (t)
2024c	2,030,084	16,967
2023b
2022	2,064,595 14%	16,545 11%	5,065 16%
2021	1,816,362 53%	14,846 51%	4,382 22%
2020	1,185,208 49%	9,852 45%	5,636 57%
2019	2,330,725 4%	17,854 5%	12,981 16%
2018	2,429,389 1%	18,812	15,420 24%
2017	2,403,135 4%	18,835 2%	12,389 3%
2016	2,316,349 10%	18,553 18%	12,077 11%
2015	2,584,355	22,625	10,896
2014a	1,495,724	14,256	4,608

Note:
^a: As of May 31, 2014, the day the airport was opened.
^b: Neither Inframérica or Zurich Airport Brasil have informed statistics for 2023.
^c: Starting at mid-February 2024.

Access

The airport is located 25 km (16 mi) from downtown Natal.

See also

• List of airports in Brazil

External links

• Airport information for SBSG at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF (effective October 2006).
• Current weather for SBSG at NOAA/NWS
• Accident history for SBSG at Aviation Safety Network