About the Airport
Pelotas International Airport is located 7 kilometers from Downtown City and has easy access to the BR 116, which allows synergy between air and road modes. The municipality's economy is based on agribusiness and commerce, emphasizing that it is the largest producer of peaches for jam. Rich in culture and history, the city is famous for Fenadoce – Feira Nacional do Doce, a festival that welcomes visitors from all over the country, especially for the famous sweets of Portuguese origin.
In 2018, the Instituto do Patrimônio Histórico e Artístico Nacional (IPHAN, in Portuguese) awarded the city the seal of Brazilian Cultural Heritage.
Microregion: Pelotas
Number of cities 10 | Population 502.000 | GDP R$ 13,2BI and part. 2,8% in FU (Federative Unit)
Source: IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics) - current value for 2019
DATASHEET
- NAME: Aeroporto Internacional João Simões Lopes Neto
- ADDRESS: Av. Zeferino Costa, s/n, Três Vendas - Pelotas/RS - CEP: 96070-480
- IATA /ICAO: PET / SBPK
- AIRPORT SITE: 2.728.318,69 m²
- AIRCRAFT YARD - Yard 1: 15.390 m² (commercial aviation and general aviation)
- AIRCRAFT PARKING: Yard 1: 3 positions C + 8 positions A (commercial aviation and general aviation)
- PASSENGER TERMINAL: 930 m²
- PASSENGERS CAPACITY/YEAR: 0,8 million
- TAXIWAY: 1 taxiway
- VEHICLE PARKING: 42 spots
AIRPORT HISTORY
Located in the south of Rio Grande do Sul, the municipality of Pelotas has its economy focused on agriculture and commerce, with emphasis on the culture of peach and asparagus, as well as the production of milk and its derivatives. It is an important educational center with several technical schools and universities, in addition to having the Porto do Rio Grande, which stimulates the movement of the city and Pelotas International Airport. Due to its geographic and structural location, it has become one of the main entrances and exits to neighboring Uruguay, Argentina, and Chile.
Pelotas International Airport is also the support and refueling point for the Brazilian Antarctic Program, which provides logistical assistance to national expeditions that travel to the Antarctic Continent, by air, with FAB C130 – Hercules aircraft.
The 1920s
1928 - On May 1, 1928, Pelotas (RS) was included in the route of the flight that arrived in Brazil via Natal (RN) passing through Rio de Janeiro (RJ), Florianópolis (SC), Porto Alegre (SC), and Pelotas, from where it followed to Buenos Aires, Argentina—his last stop. The epic flight was piloted by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, author of “The Little Prince”.
1929 - The history of aviation in Pelotas goes back to the beginnings of world aviation when an air link between Europe and South America was implemented, through Aeropostale, the French airmail. On May 8, 1929, Varig performed its pioneering flight on the Porto Alegre-Pelotas-Rio Grande route.
The 1930s
1935 - In 1935, a small passenger station was built, in hardwood, entitled Pelotas International Airport, by the Civil Aviation Department – DAC, in Portuguese.
The 1940s
1947 - Agricultural aviation in Brazil began in Rio Grande do Sul, in the Pelotas region, because of an insect plague in 1947.
The 1980s
1980 - As of October 1980, Pelotas International Airport is under the jurisdiction of Infraero.
1982 - The Estação de Apoio Antártico – ESANTAR was created in 1982, enabling the activities of the Brazilian Antarctic Program, through the PROANTAR Mission, to begin in 1983 thanks to the agreement signed between the Fundação Universidade do Rio Grande – FURG and the Comissão Interministerial para os Recursos do Mar – CIRM.
The 1990s
1990 - In the late 1990s, the airport underwent a major renovation. In 1998, already expanded and thoroughly modernized, the site was delivered with a doubled passenger terminal.
The 2000s
2001 - In 2001, the then governor of Rio Grande do Sul, Olívio Dutra endorsed the internationalization of Pelotas International Airport. The first international flight was carried out by the CXBKM aircraft, owned by Frigorífico Miramar.
The 2010s
2013 - Several improvements have been made since 2013, such as the start of 24-hour operation, renovation, recovery of the runway and apron, and installation of the precision approach trajectory indicator - auxiliary system for landing and take-off operations with low visibility (PAPI system).
2014 - On the afternoon of May 5, 2014, the group of pilots from the French line Latécoère Aéropostale arrived at the airport, who symbolically retraced, from Montevideo, Uruguay, the route of the Raid Latécoère traveled by the postal aviation company, after the World War I. After Pelotas, the first on the route, the aircraft went to Florianópolis (SC), Santos (SP), Rio de Janeiro (RJ), Salvador (BA), Ilhéus (BA), Recife (PE), and Natal (RN), the last city of the route.
2015 - As of April 2015, the official name of the airfield became Pelotas – João Simões Lopes Neto International Airport, in honor of the Pelotas chronicler, author of the books “Cancioneiro Guasca”, “Contos Gauchescos”, “Lendas do Sul” and “Casos do Romualdo”.
Source: Infraero
The 2020s
2021 - The 6th Round of Airport Concessions was carried out by the Federal Government, in which the Group CCR acquired the airports in the South and Central Groups, including Pelotas International Airport (RS).
2022 - Start of operations by CCR Aeroportos