About Pampulha (MG)
Opened in 1933, Pampulha Airport is located 8.3 kilometers from downtown. It is one of Brazil's leading centers for aircraft maintenance general and executive aviation.
Belo Horizonte, the sixth most populous city in the country and the third in the Southeast, has a vocation for business and is characterized by the predominance of the tertiary sector in its economy, with emphasis on commerce, financial services, real estate activities, and public administration. The state capital has one of the best infrastructures in the country, strategically positioned in a logistical axis that connects the South, North, Southeast, and Midwest regions.
Based on data from 2017 and released by the IBGE in 2019, the municipality has a population of 2.51 million inhabitants and a GDP of R$ 88.9 billion.
DATASHEET
- ADDRESS: Bagatelle Square, no. 204, São Luiz Zipcode: 31270-705 Belo Horizonte - MG
- IATA /ICAO: PLU / SBBH
- GROSS LEASABLE AREA (ABL, in Portuguese): 1,827 million m² (civilian) and 258 thousand m² (military area)
- AIRPORT SITE: 1,827 million m² (civilian) and 258 thousand m² (military area)
- AIRCRAFT YARD: MAIN YARD 1: 39,310 m² / YARD 2: 53,500 square m²
- AIRCRAFT PARKING: YARD 1: 8 positions / 43 positions
- PASSENGER TERMINAL: 4,629 m²
- PASSENGERS CAPACITY/YEAR: 2.2 million, approximately/year
- TAXIWAY: -
- VEHICLE PARKING: 274 spots
AIRPORT HISTORY
The 1930s
1930 - The airport's activities began in 1933. The main objective was to serve the flights of the Correio Aéreo Militar on the so-called São Francisco Line, which linked Rio de Janeiro to Fortaleza. The airport was one of the stopovers, and its official name was Aviation Detachment. In the early 1930s, Pampulha Airport was considered suitable for commercial aviation traffic. On September 2, 1936, through Law No. 76, the Government of Minas Gerais was authorized to grant Panair do Brasil the right to operate the line between Belo Horizonte and Rio de Janeiro.
1936 - On April 23, 1936, it was transformed into the 4th Aviation Regiment's Nucleus, with a grass runway with dimensions for operation with Waco-Cabin, Piper, and Beech-Mono Military Mail aircraft.
1937 - On March 23, 1937, the commercial route Rio-BH-Rio was officially inaugurated, with a Lockeed 10E Electra I, PP-PAS twin-engine aircraft, with a capacity for two crew and six passengers.
The 1940s
1941 - In 1941, the airport was transferred to the Brazilian Air Force after creating the Ministry of Aeronautics. At that time, the need to expand the airport runway was already evident
1943 - In 1943, the runway was enlarged. Its dimensions changed to 1,500 m x 45 m, receiving aircraft such as the Curtiss-Comander, Beechcraft, Lodstar, and Catalinas.
The 1950s
1950 - In the early 1950s, the runway became 1,700 meters long and, in 1953, the airport received night beacons. Subsequently, the runway was successively expanded to receive more extensive aircraft.
1954 - A new passenger terminal opened in 1954.
The 1970s
1973 - Pampulha Airport was incorporated into Infraero on December 3, 1973.
1978 - In 1978, the Coordinating Commission for the Belo Horizonte Airport Project – COPAER/BH was created to design and build the new Minas Gerais international airport in Confins. The work started in 1979.
The 1980s
1984 - Confins – Tancredo Neves International Airport was opened in 1984, considerably reducing the movement of Pampulha Airport.
1986 - With the creation of direct flights known as VDC, Pampulha resumes its activities with increasing demand.
The 1990s
1990 - In 1990, with the insertion of modern jet aircraft connecting Belo Horizonte to other capitals, a large number of passengers returned to Pampulha Airport, attracted by its proximity to the downtown of the capital of Minas Gerais.
The 2000s
2002 - In 2002, Pampulha Airport broke the historical record, with 3,073,976 passengers passing through its boarding and arrival gates and a total of 88,737 landing and take-off operations.
2004 - In honor of the centenary of the birth of the great poet and writer from Minas Gerais, Carlos Drummond de Andrade, in 2004, the airport was officially named Belo Horizonte/Pampulha – Carlos Drummond de Andrade Airport.
2005 - The former Civil Aviation Department - DAC and Infraero transfer in 2005 long-haul flights from Pampulha to Confins International - Tancredo Neves Airport. As a result, Belo Horizonte/Pampulha – Carlos Drummond de Andrade Airport started to serve the main cities of Minas Gerais and established itself as one of the leading regional airports in Brazil.
The 2010s
2010 - In the last decade, Infraero improved the runways, patios, and passenger terminal, implemented the new control tower, revitalized substations, and taxiways, replaced lighting towers, and adapted the AIS (Service of Aeronautical Information).
Source: Infraero
The 2020s
2021 - The 6th Round of Airport Concessions is held by the Federal Government, in which the CCR Group purchased the airports in the South and Central Groups, including Pampulha Airport.
2022 - Start of operations at CCR Aeroportos