Galeão International Airport

Rio de Janeiro–Antonio Carlos Jobim International Airport Aeroporto Internacional do Rio de Janeiro–Antonio Carlos Jobim
IATA: GIG ICAO: SBGL
Summary
Airport type	Public/Military
Operator	Aeroporto Rio de Janeiro S/A
Serves	Rio de Janeiro
Hub for	LATAM Brasil Gol Transportes Aéreos
Elevation AMSL	9 m / 28 ft
Coordinates	22°48′36″S 043°15′02″W / 22.81000°S 43.25056°W / -22.81000; -43.25056Coordinates: 22°48′36″S 043°15′02″W / 22.81000°S 43.25056°W / -22.81000; -43.25056
Website	riogaleao.com.br
Map
GIG Location within greater Rio de Janeiro
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 10/28 4,000 13,123 Concrete 15/33 3,180 10,433 Asphalt
Statistics (2015)
Passengers 16,942,229 Aircraft Operations 132,792
Statistics: RIOGaleão Sources: Airport Website,ANAC

Rio de Janeiro–Antonio Carlos Jobim International Airport (IATA: GIG, ICAO: SBGL), popularly known by its original name Galeão International Airport, is the main airport serving Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is the country's second-busiest international airport. It is named after Praia do Galeão (Galleon Beach), located in front of the original passenger terminal (the present passenger terminal of the Brazilian Air Force) and where in 1663 the galleon Padre Eterno was built; and since January 5, 1999 also after the Brazilian musician Antonio Carlos Jobim. Galeão Airport is explicitly mentioned in his composition Samba do avião. It is the largest airport site in terms of area in Brazil.

Since August 12, 2014 it has been operated by the concessionary Rio Galeão, a consortium formed by the Brazilian investor Odebrecht and Changi Airport Group, with a minority participation of the government owned company Infraero, the previous operator. The new concessionary has been using the brand name RIOgaleão – Aeroporto Internacional Tom Jobim.

Some of its facilities are shared with the Galeão Air Force Base of the Brazilian Air Force.

The history of the airport begins on May 10, 1923 when a School of Naval Aviation was established near Galeão beach on Governador Island. On May 22, 1941 with the creation of the Brazilian Air Force Ministry, the school became the Galeão Air Force Base; a terminal and hangars were built and the runway extended. Those buildings still exist and Galeão Air Force Base is still active. When Brazil declared war against the Axis on August 22, 1942, the aerodrome began to be used intensely by the Allies for military operations related to the World War II.