São Paulo/Guarulhos–Governor André Franco Montoro International Airport (
IATA: GRU,
ICAO: SBGR), commonly known as São Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport, is the primary
international airport serving
São Paulo. It is popularly known locally as either Cumbica Airport, after the district where it is located and the
Brazilian Air Forcebase that exists at the airport complex, or Guarulhos Airport, after the municipality of
Guarulhos, in the state of
São Paulo, where it is located. Since November 28, 2001, the airport has been named after
André Franco Montoro (1916–1999), former Governor of
São Paulo state.[5] The airport was rebranded as GRU Airport in 2012.[6]
On June 6, 1967, in response to the growth of air traffic in Brazil, the
Brazilian military government initiated studies concerning the renovation of the airport infrastructure in Brazil. As part of the conclusions of these studies, because of their location, strategic importance, and security issues, new passenger facilities would be constructed in the areas of
Galeão Air Force Base in Rio de Janeiro and
São Paulo Air Force Base in São Paulo.
In relation to São Paulo, the initial planning of the airport involved three runways and four passenger terminals. However, the first phase of the construction comprising two runways and two terminals started only on August 11, 1980. The airport was officially inaugurated on January 20, 1985. Quickly Guarulhos became the city's primary airport, supplanting
São Paulo–Congonhas Airport.
In 1989 the runways were extended and the terminals renovated, enlarged, and had their capacity increased from 7.5 million to 8.25 million passengers/year. The whole complex covered 13.86 square kilometres (3,425 acres), of which 5 square kilometres (1,200 acres) is urbanised area.
Construction of Terminal 3, capable of handling 12 million passengers per year, had been planned since 2001 but due to a myriad of political and economic problems, the actual construction didn't begin until 2011.
In 2010, the airport served more than 26.8 million passengers, an increase of 24% over 2009 and passenger volumes were 31% in excess of its capacity rated at 20.5 million per year at its present configuration.[12]
In order to relieve the acute overcrowding at Terminals 1 and 2, Infraero announced on May 17, 2011 that the former cargo terminals of defunct airlines
VASP and
Transbrasil, later used by Federal Agencies, would undergo renovations and adaptations for use as domestic passenger terminals with remote boarding. This new terminal was initially called Terminal 4 (T4).[13] The first phase of the renovations, comprising the former VASP terminal, opened on February 8, 2012,[14][15] and the second phase, comprising the former Transbrasil terminal, was opened in June 2013. Contrary to what had been announced before, the new terminal will be permanent.
Webjet was the first airline to use the new facility.[16] The new terminal, in its first phase, increased the capacity of the airport in 5.5 million passengers/year and, in the second phase to 8 million passengers/year. In total, Guarulhos would then be able to handle 28.5 million passengers/year.[17]
Responding to critiques to the situation of its airports, on May 18, 2011, Infraero released a list evaluating some of its most important airports according to its saturation levels. According to the list, Guarulhos was considered to be critically saturated, operating above 85% of its capacity.[18]
Following a decision made on April 26, 2011 by the Federal Government for private companies being granted concessions to explore some
Infraero airports,[19] on February 6, 2012, the administration of the airport was conceded, for 20 years, to the Consortium Invepar–ACSA, also known as GRU Airport, composed by the Brazilian Invepar, an Investments and Funds Society (90%) and the South African
ACSA–Airports Company South Africa (10%).[20] Infraero, the state-run organisation, remains with 49% of the shares of the company incorporated for the administration.[21][22]
On December 2, 2015, the airport's terminals were renumbered. Former Terminal 4 was renumbered Terminal 1; former terminals 1 and 2, which were wings of a single building, became the new Terminal 2. Terminal 3 kept its numbering. The new numbering reflects the order by which terminals are reached when one arrives at the airport by the access road, and is expected to be less confusing in the long term. Check-in counters and gates were also renumbered, with the first digit being now the new terminal number.[23]
On October 28, 2015, the
National Civil Aviation Agency of Brazil (Anac) authorised
Airbus A380 operations at Guarulhos Airport, effective four days later. The authorisation was granted after extensive works were conducted on the runways and taxiways (including widening runway 09L/27R to 60 metres (196 ft 10 in))[24] and special taxiing procedures were established.[25] On November 14, 2015,
Emirates operated a one-time special flight with the A380 on its
Dubai-São Paulo route to commemorate its eight years of operations in Brazil.[26]
On March 26, 2017, Emirates started daily A380 service from Dubai to São Paulo, replacing the
Boeing 777-300ER previously used on that route – coincidentally, on the same day that the other
UAE airline,
Etihad, ended its services to São Paulo.[27]
Facilities
Runways and taxiways
GRU has two parallel runways. Runway 10R/28L is 3,000 metres (9,843 ft) long and 45 metres (148 ft) wide, while runway 10L/28R is 3,700 metres (12,140 ft) long and 60 metres (200 ft) wide, after being widened in 2015 to better receive the
Airbus A380.[28][24] The field elevation at the airport is 750 metres (2,459 ft) above mean sea level.[29] Runway 10R/28L is mostly used for landings and runway 10L/28R for takeoffs. There are high-speed exit taxiways on both runways that allow for traffic to depart the runway at higher speed to allow better efficiency for landing and takeoff traffic. As of 2014, there was an average of 650 takeoff and landing operations per day at the airport.[30]
Airport diagram
Control tower
Taxiing planes at São Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport
Aircraft at São Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport
Terminals
The airport has three passenger terminals, numbered 1, 2, and 3, according to their order along the airport access road when arriving from the city.
Terminal 1 is the smallest and simplest. It has only domestic flights, and as of January 2020, only
Azul operates there, as former Passaredo (now
VoePass) has been moved to Terminal 2. Terminal 1 has no
jet bridges and no direct access to the other terminals, which can only be reached by a free shuttle bus.
Terminal 2 is the oldest and largest, and for many years was the sole airport terminal, although its two wings were considered different terminals at the time. It has the majority of domestic flights and to Latin American destinations, as well as a few intercontinental flights.
Check-in area in Terminal 2
Inside Terminal 2
Terminal 3 is the newest and most modern. It has only international flights and concentrates most long-haul intercontinental traffic, in addition to the
LATAM Group's Latin American flights. Five of the terminal's gates can accommodate the Airbus A380.[25]
Terminal 3 Check-in area
Terminal 3 interior
LATAM Lounge at Terminal 3
Terminals 2 and 3 are directly linked by a walkway.[23]
The airport also has a large
air cargo terminal with a built area of 97,000 square metres (1,040,000 sq ft) and is capable of handling any type of cargo, including refrigerated and hazardous shipments.[31]
Navigational aids
There are two navigational aids that GRU traffic uses. The Bonsucesso very high frequency omnidirectional range with distance measuring equipment (VOR-DME) is located 9.1 kilometres; 5.6 miles (4.9 nmi) to the east of GRU.[28]
Developments
In 2009
Infraero unveiled a
R$ 1,489.5 million (US$784.7
USD million; €549.8 EUR million) investment plan to upgrade Guarulhos International Airport, focusing on preparations for the
2014 FIFA World Cup and the Summer Olympics in 2016. The investment was supposed to be used as follows:[32]
Construction of additional taxiways. Cost: R$ 19M. Completion: April 2016.
Enlargement of apron and taxiways. Cost: R$370,5M. Completion: May 2016.
Construction of passenger Terminal 3. Cost: R$1,100M. Completed: March 2014. Opened for
Star Alliance airlines in May.
Central to this investment plan was Terminal 3, which is projected to add 12 million passenger capacity to the 17 million of the existing two terminals. Plans for a third runway were decided to be "technically impracticable" and were cancelled in January 2008.
However, the former concessionary, Infraero, experienced many legal and bureaucratic difficulties, which prevented most (if any) of these improvements from being completed on schedule. As of April 2013, the new concessionary unveiled a new expansion project, which included the new Terminal 3 (with a different design than the one proposed by Infraero), the widening of the main runway in order to enable operations by the large
Airbus A380 and
Boeing 747-8, operated by
Emirates and
Lufthansa respectively, and several other improvements in the existing terminals and parking area.
Terminal 3 is open and all Star Alliance airlines are in, as well as many other overseas carriers. International flights by LATAM also use the facility.
Since March 2017
American Airlines invested
US$ 100
million on a 17,000 m2 (180,000 sq ft)
maintenancehangar at Guarulhos Airport, building together with the
LATAMHangar of
R$ 130 million.[34] The American Airlines one is capable of performing line maintenance on two
wide-body aircraft at the same time, of the types commonly used by the U.S. company on
routes between
São Paulo and the
United States and the LATAM one is capable of performing line maintenance of one
wide-body aircraft. It could also be used by other companies as
storage for
parts. The same conditions applies to the LATAM maintenance center.[35]
Following is the number of passenger, aircraft and cargo movements at the airport, according to
Infraero (2007-2012) and GRU Airport (2013-2023) reports:[43][44][45][1]
Year
Passenger
Aircraft
Cargo (t)
2023
41,307,915 20%
274,917 13%
2022
34,480,706 43%
242,881 29%
2021
24,170,612 19%
188,573 21%
2020
20,322,520 53%
155,912 47%
2019
43,002,119 2%
291,987
2018
42,230,309 12%
293,084 10%
2017
37,765,898 3%
266,016 1%
2016
36,606,363 6%
268,139 43%
2015
38,983,779 1%
296,618 3%
2014
39,539,992 10%
306,050 8%
2013
35,962,128 10%
284,184 4%
2012
32,777,330 9%
273,884 1%
474,190 7%
2011
30,003,428 12%
270,600 8%
511,484 19%
2010
26,849,185 24%
250,493 19%
430,850 13%
2009
21,727,649 7%
209,636 8%
382,723 19%
2008
20,400,304 9%
194,184 3%
475,209 3%
2007
18,795,596
187,960
488,485
Accidents and incidents
On January 28, 1986, a
VASPBoeing 737-2A1registered PP-SME flying from Guarulhos to
Belo Horizonte unknowingly tried to take-off from Guarulhos, during foggy conditions, from a taxiway. The take-off was aborted, but the aircraft overran, collided with a dyke and broke in two. One passenger died.[46]
On March 21, 1989, a
Transbrasil cargo
Boeing 707-349C registered PT-TCS operating
flight 801, flying from
Manaus to São Paulo-Guarulhos, crashed at the district of Vila Barros in Guarulhos, shortly before touch-down at runway 09R. That day, at 12:00, the runway was going to be closed for maintenance and the crew decided to speed up procedures to touch-down before closure (it was already 11:54). In a hurry, one of the crew members, by mistake, activated the air-dynamic brakes, and the aircraft lost too much speed to have enough aerodynamic support (resulting in a stall). As a consequence the aircraft crashed approximately 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) from the airport. There were 25 fatalities, of which three were crew members and 22 were civilians on the ground. As well as the 22 fatalities, there were over 200 injured on the ground.[47]
On March 2, 1996, a Madrid Táxi Aéreo
Gates Learjet 25D registered PT-LSD transporting the Brazilian band
Mamonas Assassinas crashed into
Cantareira mountain range, located north of the airport, at 23:16 local time killing all 9 passengers on board. The aircraft was on final approach to land on the runway 09R, but
went around. As it flew toward the runway for a second attempt to land, the
ATC instructed the pilots to make a right turn heading south, but they turned north (left) and crashed into the mountain range at 3,300 feet (1,000 m), 10.0 kilometres (6.2 mi) from the airport. Ironically, all band members were from a Guarulhos neighborhood located close to the airport.
The airport has its own highway system: Rodovia Hélio Smidt Highway which connects the airport to
Presidente Dutra Highway or
Ayrton Senna Highway. Residents of
Guarulhos can access the road via Monteiro Lobato Avenue. Taxi stands are located outside each of the two terminals on the Arrivals level; inside there are car rental agency representatives.
Bus
Bus transportation is available through the Airport Bus Service, an executive bus line, administered by
EMTU and operated by
Consórcio Internorte – Área 3. This service provides transportation connecting Guarulhos to
Congonhas airport; to
Tietê Bus Terminal; to
Palmeiras-Barra Funda Intermodal Terminal, to Faria Lima Ave; To
Republica Square (Praça da República); To Berrini Ave.,
Itaim Bibi district; and to the circuit of hotels along
Paulista Avenue and Rua Augusta. The ride takes about one hour, depending on traffic.[49] At the airport, tickets can be purchased at the counter located outside the lounge of the Terminal 1, Wing B's arrivals level.
Pássaro Marron/EMTU, a syndicate of the Internorte Consortium, offers two regular bus lines, 257 and 299, connecting
Tatuapé subway station (Line 3-Red) with Guarulhos Airport every 30 minutes. At Tatuapé, both buses can be picked up on a platform of that multimodal station's North side bus terminal. At the airport, the stop for both buses is at the Arrivals level road connecting the wings of Terminal 2.
Gol Airlines and
LATAM offer for their passengers free bus transfers between Guarulhos and Congonhas airports at regular times.[50][51]
Viação Cometa offers daily departures to and from the airport and the cities of
Santos,
Sorocaba,
São Vicente, and
Praia Grande.[52] Lirabus operates daily buses between the airport and
Campinas. Pássaro Marron offers bus services to
São José dos Campos with departures every two hours. Viação Transdutra connects the airport with the city of
Arujá.
Line 13-Jade of the São Paulo commuter rail system, operated by
CPTM, connects with the airport through
Aeroporto-Guarulhos Station. This line started its operations experimentally on March 31, 2018.[53] The line was opened initially on a trial phase and operates only on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with trains every 30 minutes to the suburban station of
Engenheiro Goulart in eastern São Paulo city, from where a further connection with CPTM's
line 12 and at least another one by
subway will be necessary to reach downtown and the main business areas. Service will be expanded in May 2018 to seven days a week, but still only from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Full service from 4 a.m. to midnight is expected in late June 2018.[54]
Additionally, since December 2020 there's the Airport Express service, from
Luz station to
Aeroporto-Guarulhos, departing from each termini station every hour. It attends only one station towards Aeroporto-Guarulhos (
Guarulhos-CECAP station), and 2 stations towards Luz (Guarulhos-CECAP and
Brás).[55]
Aeroporto-Guarulhos station is opposite to Terminal 1, which is Guarulhos Airport's smallest and least busy, and not linked to the other terminals except by a shuttle bus. The GRU Airport company reportedly vetoed a station closer to much busier Terminals 2 and 3 because it intended to build a
shopping mall at the proposed location.[56] The excessive number of train changes through crowded commuter rail and subway lines, and the added inconvenience of the requirement for a shuttle bus, has attracted criticism to the
São Paulo state government, responsible for São Paulo's subway and commuter rail systems, which has been accused of flawed planning and overindulgence with the airport's private concessionaire.[56]
To solve this situation, Governor
João Doria and State Secretary of Metropolitan Transports
Alexandre Baldy proposed a
people mover to connect the CPTM station directly to the airport, estimated to be opened in May 2021.[57] However, many delays prevented the construction of the line, which should be owned and fully operated by GRU Airport.[58] In November 2020, the Brazilian federal government, through the Ministry of Infrastructure, authorized the construction of the people mover, which should cost
R$ 175 million (approximately
US$ 47.7 million in 2019).[59]
In December 2020 it was announced that Brazilian firm Aerom, which owns the
Aeromovel technology, had been selected to install the system.[60] Construction was due to begin in January 2021 with completing in 2022. In June 2021 it was announced that the project had 'advanced' but a schedule for construction had not been finalised.[61]
^"Anac restringe pousos e decolagens". Revista em Discussão (in Portuguese). Senado Federal (Brazilian Federal Senate). November 2010.
Archived from the original on January 3, 2014. Retrieved September 18, 2013.
^Salomon, Marta (May 18, 2011).
"Galpão vira terminal em Guarulhos" (in Portuguese). O Estado de S. Paulo.
Archived from the original on August 29, 2011. Retrieved May 20, 2011.
^"Trem de alta velocidade" (in Portuguese). Brazilian Ministry of Transportation. Archived from
the original on August 9, 2011. Retrieved August 7, 2011.