Eduardo Gomes International Airport

Manaus–Eduardo Gomes International Airport (IATA: MAO, ICAO: SBEG) is an international airport serving Manaus, Brazil. On 11 December 1973, while still under construction, the name of the facility was changed from Supersonic Airport of Manaus (owing to its design enabling Concorde operations^[5]) to Eduardo Gomes International Airport, celebrating the Brazilian politician and military figure Air Marshal Eduardo Gomes (1896–1981).^[6]

Manaus–Eduardo Gomes International Airport Aeroporto Internacional de Manaus–Eduardo Gomes
IATA: MAO ICAO: SBEG LID: AM0001
Summary
Airport type	Public
Operator	Infraero (1976–2021) Vinci (2021–present)
Serves	Manaus
Opened	31 March 1976; 49 years ago (1976-03-31)
Hub for	Apuí Táxi Aéreo Azul Conecta Manaus Aerotáxi MAP Linhas Aéreas
Focus city for	Azul Brazilian Airlines
Time zone	BRT−1 (UTC−04:00)
Elevation AMSL	81 m / 264 ft
Coordinates	03°02′28″S 060°03′02″W
Website	www.airport-manaus.com.br
Map
MAO Location in Brazil
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 11/29 2,700 8,858 Asphalt
Statistics (2023)
Passengers 2,626,386 4% Aircraft operations 40,564 7%
Statistics: Vinci[1] Sources: Airport Website,[2] ANAC,[3] DECEA[4]

It is operated by Vinci Airports.

History

Eduardo Gomes International Airport replaced Ponta Pelada Airport as the main public airport of Manaus in 1976. Ponta Pelada was then renamed Manaus Air Force Base and began handling exclusively military operations.^[7]

The construction of the airport began in 1972 and it was commissioned on 31 March 1976 by a domestic flight operated by a Boeing 727-100 of Serviços Aéreos Cruzeiro do Sul. At the time it was the most modern airport in Brazil and the first one to operate with jet bridges.^[8]

The airport has two passenger terminal buildings. Passenger Terminal 1 handles all domestic and international flights and Passenger Terminal 2, opened on 12 March 1985, handles general aviation. Furthermore, the airport has three cargo terminals, opened in 1976, 1980 and 2004. They have a total area of 49,000 square metres (530,000 sq ft) 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.^[9]

On 31 August 2009, Infraero unveiled a BRL793.5 million (US$316.1 million; EUR292.2 million) investment plan to upgrade Eduardo Gomes International Airport focusing on the preparations for the 2014 FIFA World Cup which were held in Brazil, Manaus being one of the venue cities. The investment comprised enlargement of apron and existing runway and enlargement and renovation of the passenger terminal.^[10]

Responding to critiques to the situation of its airports, on 18 May 2011, Infraero released a list evaluating some of its most important airports according to its saturation levels. According to the list, Manaus was considered to be in good situation, operating with less than 70% of its capacity.^[11]

In terms of cargo handled, Manaus is the third-busiest in Brazil, behind São Paulo-Guarulhos and Campinas.^{[citation needed]}

The Brazilian Integrated Air Traffic Control and Air Defense Center section 4 (Cindacta IV) is located in the vicinity of the airport.^[12]

Previously operated by Infraero, on April 7, 2021 Vinci SA won a 30-year concession to operate the airport.^[13]

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

Airlines	Destinations
Apuí Táxi Aéreo	Apuí, Manicoré
Avianca	Bogotá
Azul Brazilian Airlines	Belém, Belo Horizonte–Confins, Boa Vista, Campinas, Fortaleza, Itaituba, Parintins, Porto Trombetas, Porto Velho, Recife, Santarém, São Gabriel da Cachoeira, Tabatinga, Tefé Charter: Carauari,[citation needed] Porto Urucu[citation needed]
Azul Conecta	Barcelos (resumes 2 September 2025),[14] Borba, Coari, Lábrea, Manicoré, Maués, Santa Isabel do Rio Negro, Tefé
Conviasa	Puerto Ordaz
Copa Airlines	Panama City–Tocumen
Gol Linhas Aéreas	Bogotá,[15] Brasília, Fortaleza, Porto Velho, Rio Branco, Rio de Janeiro–Galeão, Santarém, São Paulo–Guarulhos Seasonal: Miami[citation needed]
LATAM Brasil	Belém, Brasília, Fortaleza, Rio de Janeiro–Galeão, São Paulo–Guarulhos
TAP Air Portugal	Lisbon

Cargo

Airlines	Destinations
Atlas Air	Miami
Avianca Cargo	Bogotá, Medellín-JMC
LATAM Cargo Colombia	Campinas-Viracopos, Miami
LATAM Cargo Brasil	Asunción, Belém, Belo Horizonte-Confins, Bogota, Brasília, Buenos Aires-Ezeiza, Cabo Frio, Cali, Campinas, Caracas, Ciudad del Este, Curitiba, Guayaquil, Lima, Medellín-Córdova, Miami, Quito, Recife, Rio de Janeiro-Galeão, São Paulo-Guarulhos, Valencia (VE)
Mas Air	Mexico City, Guadalajara, Merida, San Jose da Costa Rica, Panama City-Tocumen, Quito, Guayaquil
Modern Logistics	Brasília, Campinas, Recife
Total Express Linhas Aéreas	São Paulo-Guarulhos[16]

Statistics

Terminal 1

View of runway 11 with TAM Airlines Airbus A330-200

Cargo Terminal

Following is the number of passenger, aircraft and cargo movements at the airport, according to Infraero (2007-2021) and Vinci (2022-2023) reports:^[17][18][1]

Year	Passenger	Aircraft	Cargo (t)
2023	2,626,386 4%	40,564 7%
2022	2,725,184 21%	43,437 10%
2021	2,258,780 30%	39,367 28%	100,017 7%
2020	1,737,962 43%	30,717 23%	93,330 21%
2019	3,073,231 9%	40,120 2%	117,723 5%
2018	2,827,615 7%	39,199 6%	111,966
2017	2,645,205	37,030 2%	112,510 1%
2016	2,651,452 19%	37,951 22%	113,861 6%
2015	3,258,157 4%	48,433 12%	121,295 22%
2014	3,389,867 10%	54,862 1%	156,329 7%
2013	3,077,077 2%	55,141 4%	168,299 8%
2012	3,131,150 4%	57,575 2%	156,147 6%
2011	3,019,426 12%	56,298 7%	166,610 6%
2010	2,688,623 17%	52,505 15%	157,157 10%
2009	2,300,022 14%	45,852 2%	142,623 1%
2008	2,021,668 2%	44,823 1%	141,618 17%
2007	2,063,872	44,303	170,132

Accidents and incidents

• 21 April 1983: three Libyan Air Force Il-76TDs and a C-130 landed at Manaus airport, after one of the Il-76s developed some technical problems while crossing the Atlantic Ocean. The aircraft were then searched by the Brazilian authorities. While their cargo was officially declared as medical supplies, the planes were carrying the 17 Aero L-39 Albatros jets, together with guns and parachutes, destined for Nicaragua. The cargo was impounded, while the transports were permitted to return to Libya.^[19]
• 6 March 1991: a TABA Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante flying to Manaus was hijacked near São Gabriel da Cachoeira by 3 people.^[20]
• 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.^[21]
• 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.^[22]

Access

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

See also

• List of airports in Brazil