Top Airports In Brazil

The top Brazillian Airports based on volume

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Brazillian Airports

Due to its size and the importance of air travel for reaching remote regions, Brazil has a colossal number of airports. There are over 2500 registered airports across the country, making up the single largest national airport network on the planet. About 700 of these airports are public use/passenger airports recognised by ANAC (Brazil's civil aviation authority), and about 40 of them are international airports.

In this article, I am going to break down the top 10 airports by volume within Brazil, the facilities you can expect when you visit them, and the destinations/routes they offer.

1. São Paulo–Guarulhos International Airport (GRU)

Brazil's largest and busiest airport by a wide margin, handling over 23 million passengers annually. GRU is absolutely massive, having 3 fully developed terminals with inbuilt shopping areas, facilities and dining options. The three terminals are divided between Star Alliance carriers, LATAM/Oneworld and alternative international carriers.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Facilities:

Multiple lounges, extensive duty-free and dining, hotels, a terminal link CPTM rail line to the main city centre, a shuttle bus between terminals and dedicated cargo holding areas.

🏙️Destinations:

Flights to 113 destinations from over 40 international carriers.

2. São Paulo–Congonhas Airport (CGH)

Located just 8km from central São Paulo, CGH is one of Brazil's oldest airports (opened in 1936), and the country's biggest domestic-only hub. This is the preferred airport for business travellers thanks to frequent, shuttle-style routes to Rio, Brasília, and Belo Horizonte. It has one terminal with roughly 20 million passengers per year, and is currently under renovation to add further facilities.

⭐⭐⭐ Facilities:

Facilities are functional and available but tight for the volume it experiences. Restaurants are available but often have long wait periods, and on-site retail stores are busy. There are frequent transport links into central São Paulo, so connectivity is no issue.

🏙️Destinations:

40 destinations are available, all of which are domestic.

3. Brasília International Airport (BSB)

The airport serving the federal capital, BSB, functions as a key domestic hub, taking advantage of Brasília's central location on the map, making it a natural stopover point between Brazil's north and south. It's a hub for LATAM Brasil, GOL, and Azul, 3 amazing carriers with solid facilities for passengers.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ Facilities:

BSB has a fantastic, modern two-concourse terminal. They have a good balance of facilities like restaurants and retail stores, as well as services for international travellers like currency exchanges, information hubs and on-site hotels.

🏙️Destinations:

48 destinations, largely international, with available connecting domestic flights to other hub airports within Brazil.

4. Viracopos International Airport (VCP)

Serving Campinas near São Paulo, VCP is Brazil's leading cargo airport and a growing low-cost carrier hub. Its facilities skew heavily towards logistics and freight alongside passenger services, making it strong on cargo infrastructure but less connected internationally for passengers than GRU.

⭐⭐⭐ Facilities:

Since becoming a relatively successful low-cost hub thanks to Azul's presence, VCP has developed solid facilities, although they are less premium than GRU. There are fast food restaurants for eating and a few duty-free shops to browse.

🏙️Destinations:

66 destinations, with lower-cost flights being the primary traffic. Many destinations are domestic or in neighbouring South American countries.

5. Santos Dumont Airport (SDU)

Rio de Janeiro's city-centre airport is compact but highly convenient, mainly serving the São Paulo – Rio shuttle route and other short-haul domestic flights. Its small footprint limits facilities and long-haul capability, but its location makes it a valuable nexus for connectivity within Brazil's southeast corridor.

⭐⭐ Facilities:

Small, basic amenities available, like fast food and shopping on the airside of security. Its main appeal is its location.

🏙️Destinations:

8 routes to domestic destinations are available. Due to its location, operations are limited to 23 flights per hour, with only general aviation aircraft being permitted.

6. Belo Horizonte International Airport / Confins (CNF)

A modern airport with a strong emphasis on domestic connections, but with a growing number of international routes. CNF is the secondary hub for major players such as LATAM and GOL.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ Facilities:

Facilities are brand new and well equipped, reflecting significant investment during the 2010s. Many retail and dining options are available as well as other comfortable lounges, and a wide array of passenger services.

🏙️Destinations:

51 destinations, almost all domestic, with main airlines like Azul, GOL, LATAM and Copa.

7. Recife/Guararapes–Gilberto Freyre International Airport (REC)

The gateway to Brazil's northeast, REC handled about 9.9 million passengers in 2025, with connectivity to Madrid, Buenos Aires, Lisbon and domestic destinations. The airport itself has standard amenities for a regional airport, but not extensive.

⭐⭐⭐ Facilities:

There are several on-site restaurants and retail stores, with an array of passenger services. They offer a more functional approach to passenger care than more high-class airports.

🏙️Destinations:

38 destinations with a solid regional service and a small handful of international routes.

8. Salgado Filho Porto Alegre International Airport (POA)

Serving Brazil's southern reaches, POA is an important hub with solid domestic options, packaged up in a very modern, recently regenerated terminal. It handles a mix of business and leisure traffic and serves as a major gateway for international links to neighbouring South American countries.

⭐⭐⭐ Facilities:

As a smaller-footprint airport with a newly regenerated modern terminal (rebuilt in the 2010s), there are limited but high-quality options for retail, dining and services.

🏙️Destinations:

21 destinations are available in Brazil and surrounding states.

9. Salvador International Airport (SSA)

The airport of choice for Bahia and Brazil's northeast coast, SSA blends strong tourism-driven connectivity (especially seasonal international charters) with steady domestic service. Facilities are solid and are oriented more towards leisure travellers than business infrastructure.

⭐⭐⭐ Facilities:

Tourism-oriented airport with decent domestic and seasonal international charter capacity. Facilities lean toward leisure travellers rather than cargo and private business infrastructure. There are reasonable amenities, but less than you might find at a major connecting hub.

🏙️Destinations:

33 total destinations, both domestic and international.

10. Rio de Janeiro – Galeão International Airport (GIG)

Rio's main international airport, named after musician Antonio Carlos Jobim, is the largest airport by site in Brazil. Despite its size and long-haul international capability, GIG has slipped in passenger rankings behind other regional hubs in recent years as it faces capacity underuse relative to its infrastructure.

⭐ Facilities:

As Brazil's largest airport site by area, GIG has huge facilities, including a large mall, a wide array of dining options, and transport links to tourist spots within Rio.

🏙️Destinations:

42 destinations, including 16 intercontinental routes.

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Brazil Airport FAQs

Which Brazilian airports have international flights?

GRU, GIG, BSB, SSA, REC, plus smaller volumes at VCP, CNF, FOR.

Brazil has over 20 airports with the physical infrastructure to accept international flights, but only a handful handle scheduled long-haul service.

GRU vs CGH - what's the difference?

São Paulo's two largest airports have a few key differences:

GRU: main international gateway, 25km from the centre, ~113 destinations

CGH: domestic only, 8- 12 km from centre, ~40 destinations, favoured by business travellers for short-haul (Rio, Brasília, Belo Horizonte)

How many airports does Brazil have?

Brazil has 2500+ registered airports/airstrips, but only 700 are public use (recognised by ANAC). There are 40 total international airports.

Which is the busiest/largest airport in Brazil?

Guarulhos (GRU) is the busiest airport in Latin America, with over 23 million passengers in 2025, up more than 8% from 2024

How do I transfer between airports in the same city?

Rio: GIG (international) to SDU (domestic) is a 30-60 min cross-city transfer

São Paulo: direct executive buses connect CGH and GRU, taking approximately 60-90 minutes, costing R$45-55