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Afonso Pena International Airport

Coordinates: 25°31′54″S 049°10′34″W / 25.53167°S 49.17611°W / -25.53167; -49.17611
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Curitiba–Afonso Pena International Airport

Aeroporto Internacional de Curitiba–Afonso Pena
Summary
Airport typePublic
Operator
ServesCuritiba
LocationSão José dos Pinhais, Brazil
Opened24 January 1946; 78 years ago (1946-01-24)
Focus city forAzul Brazilian Airlines
Time zoneBRT (UTC−03:00)
Elevation AMSL911 m / 2,989 ft
Coordinates25°31′54″S 049°10′34″W / 25.53167°S 49.17611°W / -25.53167; -49.17611
Websitewww.ccraeroportos.com.br/curitiba-pr
Map
CWB is located in Paraná
CWB
CWB
Location in Brazil
CWB is located in Brazil
CWB
CWB
CWB (Brazil)
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
15/33 2,218 7,277 Asphalt
11/29 1,798 5,899 Asphalt
Statistics (2023)
Passengers5,565,810
Aircraft Operations60,542
Statistics: CCR[1]
Sources: Airport Website,[2] ANAC,[3] DECEA[4]

Curitiba-President Afonso Pena International Airport (IATA: CWB, ICAO: SBCT) is the main airport serving Curitiba, located in the municipality of São José dos Pinhais, in the state of Paraná. Since July 15, 1985 it is named after Afonso Augusto Moreira Pena (1847–1909), the 6th President of Brazil.[5]

It is operated by CCR.

History

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As was the case with many important Brazilian airports located in strategic points along the coast, Afonso Pena, was built by the Brazilian Air Force Ministry in partnership with the United States Army during the Second World War. However, since its construction was completed only in 1945, shortly before the end of the war, Afonso Pena never saw heavy military movement. On January 24, 1946, it was dedicated as a civil airport.[6]

The original passenger terminal was in use until 1959 when a new terminal was built. This terminal is used until 1996 when the much bigger terminal opened. After the new terminal opened, the older terminal became a cargo terminal.

The unstable weather conditions of the region are the main problem with the airport, particularly fog and smog in the morning hours of winter and the fact that the auxiliary runway 11/29 is too small and plagued with old equipment. There are also plans to upgrade runway 15/33 from an ILS CAT II runway to ILS CAT III.

Since the bottleneck for the airport is the cargo capacity, the main runway was lengthened in 2008 to allow cargo flights to operate with greater loads and the cargo terminal was upgraded.[7]

On 31 August 2009, Infraero unveiled a BRL30 million (USD16 million; EUR11 million) investment plan to upgrade Afonso Pena International Airport focusing on the preparations for the 2014 FIFA World Cup which were held in Brazil, Curitiba being one of the venue cities. The investment included the enlargement of the apron and implementation of taxiways.[8] The terminal is 45,000 m2, has 14 jetways, and is capable of handling 15 million passengers annually. There are 800 parking places. The airport complex includes a small museum, a playcenter and a mall with 60 stores inside the main terminal.

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, Curitiba was considered to be requiring attention, operating between 70% and 85% of its capacity.[9] American Airlines launched service to Miami in November 2013. The outbound flight operated via Porto Alegre, while the inbound one was nonstop.[10] The carrier terminated the route in February 2016.[11]

Previously operated by Infraero, on April 7, 2021, CCR won a 30-year concession to operate the airport.[12]

Airlines and destinations

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Passenger

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AirlinesDestinations
Aerolíneas Argentinas Buenos Aires–Aeroparque
Azul Brazilian Airlines Asunción (begins 3 December 2024),[13] Belo Horizonte–Confins, Campinas, Campo Grande, Cascavel, Florianópolis, Foz do Iguaçu, Londrina, Maringá, Montevideo, Pato Branco, Porto Alegre (resumes 1 November 2024),[14] Rio de Janeiro–Galeão, São Paulo–Congonhas, São Paulo–Guarulhos
Seasonal: Recife
Azul Conecta Guaíra, Telêmaco Borba, Umuarama, União da Vitória
Gol Linhas Aéreas Belo Horizonte–Confins, Brasília, Rio de Janeiro–Galeão, Salvador da Bahia, São Paulo–Congonhas, São Paulo–Guarulhos
JetSmart Chile Seasonal: Santiago de Chile
LATAM Brasil Brasília, Foz do Iguaçu, Porto Alegre, São Paulo–Congonhas, São Paulo–Guarulhos
LATAM Chile Santiago de Chile
LATAM PerúLima

Cargo

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AirlinesDestinations
Avianca Cargo Campinas
Cargolux Luxembourg
Cargolux Italia Milan-Malpensa
LATAM Cargo Brasil Miami
LATAM Cargo Chile Santiago de Chile
Lufthansa Cargo Campinas,[15] Frankfurt,[15] Recife[15]
Total Linhas Aéreas Florianópolis, São Paulo-Guarulhos

Statistics

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Panoramic view of the passenger terminal
Terminal landside view
Aerial view of the terminal in 2005

Following is the number of passenger, aircraft and cargo movements at the airport, according to Infraero (2007-2021) and CCR (2022-2023) reports:[16][17][1]

Year Passenger Aircraft Cargo (t)
2023 5,565,810 60,542
2022a 3,899,773 45,005
2021 3,111,942 Increase 23% 34,225 Increase 19% 20,003 Increase 2%
2020 2,520,710 Decrease 61% 28,747 Decrease 57% 19,553 Decrease 44%
2019 6,502,746 Increase 3% 66,371 Increase 3% 34,664 Increase 6%
2018 6,310,413 Decrease 6% 64,683 Decrease 4% 32,672 Increase 16%
2017 6,722,058 Increase 5% 67,457 Increase 2% 28,220 Increase 10%
2016 6,385,838 Decrease 12% 66,386 Decrease 12% 25,730 Decrease 12%
2015 7,235,634 Decrease 2% 75,722 Decrease 4% 29,278 Decrease 16%
2014 7,376,743 Increase 9% 78,790 Decrease 4% 34,938 Decrease 9%
2013 6,742,133 Decrease 1% 82,455 Decrease 7% 38,355 Decrease 14%
2012 6,828,334 Decrease 2% 88,909 Decrease 6% 44,478 Increase 34%
2011 6,969,484 Increase 21% 94,143 Increase 7% 33,152 Increase 36%
2010 5,774,615 Increase 19% 88,217 Increase 10% 24,417 Increase 8%
2009 4,853,733 Increase 13% 80,017 Increase 16% 22,604 Decrease 13%
2008 4,281,354 Increase 10% 69,076 Increase 10% 26,072 Increase 12%
2007 3,907,275 62,563 23,322

Note:
a: 2022 series provided by CCR is incomplete, lacking data for the months of January, February and part of March.

Accidents and incidents

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  • 16 June 1958: a Cruzeiro do Sul Convair 440, registration PP-CEP, flying from Florianópolis to Curitiba, was on final approach procedures to land at Curitiba in bad weather when it was caught in windshear. The aircraft descended and struck the ground. Of the 27 passengers and crew aboard, 24 died. Among the deaths was the Brazilian interim president at that time, Nereu Ramos.[18][19]
  • 3 November 1967: a Sadia Handley Page Dart Herald, registration PP-SDJ, flying from São Paulo-Congonhas to Curitiba, collided with a hill during approach to land at Curitiba. All 5 crew members and 21 passengers died. 4 passengers survived.[20][21]
  • 16 August 2000: a VASP Boeing 737-200 registration PP-SMG, en route from Foz do Iguaçu to Curitiba, was hijacked by 5 persons demanding the BRL 5 million (approximately US$2.75 million at that time) that the aircraft was transporting. The pilot was forced to land at Porecatu, where the hijackers fled with the money. There were no injuries.[22][23]
  • 26 December 2002: a Brazilian Air Force Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante, registration FAB-2292, en route from São Paulo-Campo de Marte to Florianópolis Air Force Base, crashed while trying to carry out an emergency landing at Curitiba-Afonso Pena. Reportedly, both engines had shut down. The airplane had taken off with insufficient fuel on board to complete the flight to Florianópolis. Of the 16 people on board, 1 crew member and 2 passengers died.[24]

Access

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The airport is located 18 km (11 mi) southeast of downtown Curitiba.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Movimentação Aeroportuária". CCR (in Portuguese). Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  2. ^ "Curitiba". CCR Aeroportos (in Portuguese). Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  3. ^ "Aeródromos". ANAC (in Portuguese). 15 October 2019. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  4. ^ "Afonso Pena (SBCT)". DECEA (in Portuguese). Retrieved 9 March 2024.
  5. ^ "Lei nº 7.343, de 15 de julho de 1985". Presidência da República (in Portuguese). 15 July 1985. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  6. ^ "Aeroporto Internacional de Curitiba celebra 78 anos de serviços; gestão comenta melhorias". Aeroin (in Portuguese). 24 January 2024. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  7. ^ "Programa de Aceleramento do Crescimento (PAC) em Aeroportos" (in Portuguese). Aviação Brasil. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 29 October 2007.
  8. ^ Rittner, Daniel; Braga, Paulo Victor (31 August 2009). "Infraero vai gastar R$5 bi em reforma de aeroportos". Valor Econômico (in Portuguese). pp. A4. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  9. ^ "Governo muda critério de avaliação e 'melhora' desempenho de aeroportos" (in Portuguese). O Estado de S. Paulo. 19 May 2011. Retrieved 20 May 2011.
  10. ^ "American Airlines Starts New Services to Curitiba and Porto Alegre from Miami". American Airlines (in Portuguese). 22 November 2013. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
  11. ^ "Curitiba perde voo da American Airlines para Miami". Gazeta do Povo (in Portuguese). 6 October 2015. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
  12. ^ "Governo federal arrecada R$ 3,3 bilhões com leilão de 22 aeroportos". Agência Brasil (in Portuguese). Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  13. ^ "Quatro cidades brasileiras passam a contar com voos da Azul para Assunção". Aeroflap (in Portuguese). 5 August 2024. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  14. ^ "Saiba quais são as rotas e os voos já confirmados para a volta do aeroporto Salgado Filho em outubro". Diário gaúcho (in Portuguese). 22 August 2024. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  15. ^ a b c "Schedule". Lufthansa Cargo. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  16. ^ "Anuário Estatístico Operacional" (PDF). Infraero (in Portuguese). 12 April 2012. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  17. ^ "Estatísticas". Infraero (in Portuguese). Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  18. ^ "Accident description PP-CEP". Aviation Safety Network. Archived from the original on 3 November 2012. Retrieved 6 May 2011.
  19. ^ Germano da Silva, Carlos Ari César (2008). "Tesoura de vento". O rastro da bruxa: história da aviação comercial brasileira no século XX através dos seus acidentes 1928–1996 (in Portuguese) (2 ed.). Porto Alegre: EDIPUCRS. pp. 165–168. ISBN 978-85-7430-760-2.
  20. ^ "Accident description PP-SDJ". Aviation Safety Network. Archived from the original on 3 November 2012. Retrieved 6 May 2011.
  21. ^ Germano da Silva, Carlos Ari César (2008). "Serra da Graciosa". O rastro da bruxa: história da aviação comercial brasileira no século XX através dos seus acidentes 1928–1996 (in Portuguese) (2 ed.). Porto Alegre: EDIPUCRS. pp. 256–261. ISBN 978-85-7430-760-2.
  22. ^ "Incident description PP-SMG". Aviation Safety Network. Archived from the original on 3 November 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2011.
  23. ^ Maschio, José (21 August 2000). "PF liga sequestro de avião da VASP à rebelião em penitenciária em Roraima" (in Portuguese). Folha Online. Archived from the original on 17 October 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2011.
  24. ^ "Accident description FAB-2292". Aviation Safety Network. Archived from the original on 3 November 2012. Retrieved 6 May 2011.
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Media related to Afonso Pena International Airport at Wikimedia Commons