It was with great excitement, celebration and celebration that Salgado Filho Airport welcomed its first commercial flight on the morning of Monday, October 21st. And the Festuris – Gramado International Tourism Fair team was in Porto Alegre to witness the resumption of activities on the runway. “This is a remarkable moment for all of us. Rio Grande do Sul knows how much we missed the airport,” summarized Eduardo Zorzanello, CEO of Festuris, who witnessed the landing.
It was 8:03 a.m. when the Azul Linhas Aéreas plane touched down carrying 174 passengers from Campinas, including Azul CEO John Rodgerson. A large and excited crowd welcomed the flight in the arrivals area, including Governor Eduardo Leite and Minister Paulo Pimenta. The tourist trade in the mountains was in full force and celebrated the resumption of operations.
The plane was completely customized by the airline with a painting in honor of Rio Grande do Sul. The flight number, 2603, was chosen with a special meaning: Porto Alegre's birthday. And pilot Henrique Schneider, 25, also had a special day. Azul granted his request to be responsible for the flight, as he is from Ivoti and, in addition to it being his birthday, this was the first time he had led a flight to the capital of his state. And as soon as the plane began taxiing after landing, he made sure to show a Rio Grande do Sul flag through the cabin window.
AIRPORT OPERATION - Immediately afterwards, at 8:20 a.m., the second plane landed, this one coming from Congonhas with Gol Linhas Aéreas. According to the concessionaire Fraport, 71 landings and takeoffs will be carried out involving the cities of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Brasília on this first day of operation, serving around 9 thousand people.
From October 28, there should be 98 flights between departures and arrivals, serving around 15 thousand passengers. On November 4, the number should increase to 122 landings and takeoffs, with 16 thousand passengers.
The runway will operate from 8 am to 10 pm with capacity for 181 flights between landings and takeoffs, which represents 70% of the airport's total capacity. Salgado Filho's full capacity will be restored on December 16, when international flights will also return to the terminal.
Text: Fernando Gusen.