Greater Natal International Airport
Commercial airport serving Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rio Grande do Norte/São Gonçalo do Amarante–Governador Aluízio Alves International Airport (IATA: NAT, ICAO: SBSG) is an international airport serving Natal, located in the municipality of São Gonçalo do Amarante, in the state of Rio Grande do Norte.[5]
- Inframérica (2011–2023)
- Zurich Airport Brasil (2023–present)
Rio Grande do Norte/São Gonçalo do Amarante–Governador Aluízio Alves International Airport Aeroporto Internacional do Rio Grande do Norte/São Gonçalo do Amarante–Governador Aluízio Alves | |||||||||||
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Landside terminal building in 2022 | |||||||||||
| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Operator |
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| Serves | Natal | ||||||||||
| Location | São Gonçalo do Amarante, Brazil | ||||||||||
| Opened | 9 June 2014 | ||||||||||
| Time zone | BRT (UTC−03:00) | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 83 m (272 ft) | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 05°46′08″S 035°21′59″W | ||||||||||
| Website | natal-airport | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  NAT Location in Brazil | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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| Statistics (2025) | |||||||||||
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| Statistics: Zurich Airport Brasil[1] Sources: Airport Website,[2] ANAC,[3] DECEA[4] | |||||||||||
The airport is operated by Zurich Airport Brasil.
History
The airport was built to replace Augusto Severo International Airport. In 1998, Infraero started the planning and construction of the airport. In 2011 the concession of the unfinished facility was auctioned and the winner would have to finish its construction, including the terminal building and control tower.[6] The project envisaged an intermodal airport, focusing both on passenger and cargo transportation.[7] The complex was expected to have the highest aircraft traffic in the North East of Brazil.[8]
On May 12, 2011, the National Civil Aviation Agency of Brazil (ANAC) released a document opening the concession of the unfinished airport to private entrepreneurs.[9] The auction to choose the winner took place on August 22, 2011,[10] and the winner was Consortium Inframérica, which is formed by the Brazilian Engineering Group Engevix (50%) and the Argentinean Group Corporación América (50%). The latter operates 52 airports in seven countries.[11][12] In 2013, it was decreed that the name of the airport would be inspired in part from former governor of the state of Rio Grande do Norte Aluízio Alves.[13]
Consortium Inframérica was given three years to build the passenger and cargo terminals, and was authorized to commercially exploit the facility for 25 years. Differently from other Brazilian airports in the process of privatization, in which the state operator Infraero retained 49% of the shares, in the case of Natal Consortium Inframérica got 100% of the shares and Infraero held no participation. The airport is the first in Brazil operated by a private sector company.[14]
The airport started operations on May 31, 2014 with domestic flights. International operations followed a few days later. The facility was officially opened on June 9, 2014.[15]
On March 10, 2021, it was announced that the National Civil Aviation Agency of Brazil had approved a new concession process for the airport, as per request from Consortium Inframérica made on March 5, 2020.[16] On May 19, 2023, Zurich Airport Brasil won a 30-year concession to operate the airport.[17]
Airlines and destinations
Passenger
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Azul Brazilian Airlines | Belo Horizonte–Confins,[18] Campinas,[19] Recife,[20] São Paulo–Congonhas[21] Seasonal: Presidente Prudente,[22] Ribeirão Preto,[23] São José do Rio Preto,[24] Uberlândia[23] |
| Gol Linhas Aéreas | Brasília,[25] Buenos Aires–Aeroparque,[26] Rio de Janeiro–Galeão,[27] Salvador da Bahia,[28] São Paulo–Congonhas,[29] São Paulo–Guarulhos[30] Seasonal: Montevideo[31] |
| JetSmart Argentina | Buenos Aires–Aeroparque[32] |
| LATAM Brasil | Brasília,[33] Fortaleza,[34] São Paulo–Congonhas,[33] São Paulo–Guarulhos[35] Seasonal: Buenos Aires–Ezeiza (begins 15 December 2026)[36] Seasonal charter: Rosario (begins 3 January 2027)[37] |
| TAP Air Portugal | Lisbon[38] |
Statistics
Following are the number of passenger, aircraft and cargo movements at the airport, according to Inframérica (2014-2022) and Zurich Airport Brasil (2024-2025) reports:[39][1]
| Year | Passenger | Aircraft | Cargo (t) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2,421,540 | 17,675 | |
| 2024c | 2,030,084 | 16,967 | |
| 2023b | |||
| 2022 | 2,064,595  14% | 16,545 11% | 5,065 16% |
| 2021 | 1,816,362 53% | 14,846 51% | 4,382  22% |
| 2020 | 1,185,208 49% | 9,852 45% | 5,636 57% |
| 2019 | 2,330,725 4% | 17,854 5% | 12,981 16% |
| 2018 | 2,429,389 1% | 18,812  | 15,420 24% |
| 2017 | 2,403,135 4% | 18,835 2% | 12,389 3% |
| 2016 | 2,316,349 10% | 18,553 18% | 12,077 11% |
| 2015 | 2,584,355 | 22,625 | 10,896 |
| 2014a | 1,495,724 | 14,256 | 4,608 |
Note:
a: As of May 31, 2014, the day operations started.
b: Neither Inframérica or Zurich Airport Brasil have informed statistics for 2023.
c: Starting at mid-February 2024.
Access
The airport is located 25 km (16 mi) from downtown Natal.
See also
External links
- "Airport information for SBSG". DAFIF. October 2006 – via Great Circle Mapper.
- "Current weather for SBSG". NOAA/NWS.
