Augusto Severo International Airport ( pt, Aeroporto Internacional Augusto Severo) , formerly called Parnamirim Airport, was the airport that served

Natal NATAL or Natal may refer to: Places * Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, a city in Brazil * Natal, South Africa (disambiguation), a region in South Africa ** Natalia Republic, a former country (1839–1843) ** Colony of Natal, a former British colony ( ...

, Brazil, located in the adjoining municipality of

Parnamirim Parnamirim is a city in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, next to the state capital city of Natal and part of its metropolitan area. Natal Air Force Base - ALA10, one of the most important bases of the Brazilian Air Force, is located in P ...

. On May 31, 2014, all domestic and international flights were moved to the new Gov. Aluízio Alves International Airport, and Augusto Severo was closed to civil aviation. Some of its facilities were shared with the

Natal Air Force Base Natal Air Force Base – ALA10 is a base of the Brazilian Air Force, located in Parnamirim, near Natal, Brazil. History Originally called Parnamirim Airport, this facility had an important role during World War II as a strategic base for air ...

of the

Brazilian Air Force "Wings that protect the country" , colours = , colours_label = , march = Hino dos Aviadores , mascot = , anniversaries = 22 May (anniver ...

. From 24 November 1951, the airport was named after the aviator Augusto Severo de Albuquerque Maranhão (1864-1902).

History

Before World War II

Air France Air France (; formally ''Société Air France, S.A.''), stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the flag carrier of France headquartered in Tremblay-en-France. It is a subsidiary of the Air France–KLM Group and a founding member of the SkyTeam global air ...

operated a mail service with flying boats and landplanes across the Atlantic from

Dakar Dakar ( ; ; wo, Ndakaaru) (from daqaar ''tamarind''), is the capital and largest city of Senegal. The city of Dakar proper has a population of 1,030,594, whereas the population of the Dakar metropolitan area is estimated at 3.94 million in 2 ...

which routed via Natal. Parnamirim was a combination land and marine airport also used by

Pan American World Airways Pan American World Airways, originally founded as Pan American Airways and commonly known as Pan Am, was an American airline that was the principal and largest international air carrier and unofficial overseas flag carrier of the United States ...

and

Panair do Brasil Panair do Brasil was an airline of Brazil. Between 1945 and 1965 it was considered to be the largest carrier not only in Brazil but in all of Latin America. It ceased operations in 1965. History NYRBA do Brasil (1929–1930) ''Panair do Bras ...

flying boats. In 1940 and 1941 the Italian Airline L.A.T.I. operated a weekly landplane service from Rome to Rio de Janeiro via Recife (mainly southbound) and Natal (mainly northbound) using Savoia-Marchetti tri-motor landplanes until the aircraft were impounded and the service stopped as a result of the intervention of the British secret services in the Americas around the time of the

Attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, j ...

. The airport gained an important role during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

as a strategic base for aircraft flying between South America and West Africa. Particularly between 1943 and 1945, this facility was used jointly by the

Brazilian Air Force "Wings that protect the country" , colours = , colours_label = , march = Hino dos Aviadores , mascot = , anniversaries = 22 May (anniver ...

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

, the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

, and commercial airlines. The maintenance and security installations were made by the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

in the South Atlantic (USAFSA). On 31 March 1980, the Ministry of Aeronautics transferred to state-owned airport administrator

Infraero Empresa Brasileira de Infraestrutura Aeroportuária (abr. Infraero) is a Brazilian government corporation founded in 1973, authorized by Law 5,862,INFRAERO: 40 ANOS SERVINDO PESSOAS, EMPRESAS E O BRASIL. Retrieved 01/10/2014linha%5D/ref> being ...

the task of managing the airport. On the same date major renovations were completed. In 2000, the last passenger terminal was built. The terminal was 11,560 m² (124,431 sq.ft.), had four

jet bridge A jet bridge (also termed jetway, jetwalk, airgate, gangway, aerobridge/airbridge, skybridge, finger, airtube, expedited suspended passenger entry system (E-SPES), or its official industry name passenger boarding bridge (PBB)) is an enclosed, ...

s, and was capable of handling 1.5 million passengers annually. There were 500 parking places. On 31 August 2009, Infraero unveiled an ambitious BRL5.3 billion (US$2.8 billion; EUR2.0 billion) investment plan to renovate and upgrade airports of ten cities focusing on the preparations for the

2014 FIFA World Cup The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014, after the country was awarded the hosting ri ...

, which was going to be held in Brazil. On that occasion, it was announced that even though Natal was one of the venue cities, the plan did not include Augusto Severo airport because renovations had been recently completed, and Infraero considered the airport fit to handle the forthcoming increase in traffic. However, the capacity of the airport did not meet the demand of passengers, so the brand-new

Greater Natal International Airport Rio Grande do Norte/São Gonçalo do Amarante–Governador Aluízio Alves International Airport is an airport in São Gonçalo do Amarante, Brazil serving Natal and its metropolitan area. The airport is managed by Consortium Inframérica. His ...

was built at the nearby town of São Gonçalo do Amarante. On 31 May 2014, all domestic flights were moved to the new facility. International flights were moved a few days later. The facilities of Augusto Severo are now used only by

. The following airlines served the airport at the time of closure: Arkefly, Avianca Brasil,

Azul Brazilian Airlines Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras S/A (''Azul Brazilian Airlines''; or simply Azul) is a Brazilian carrier based in Barueri, a suburb of São Paulo. The company's business model is to stimulate demand by providing frequent and affordable air serv ...

Gol Airlines Gol may refer to: Places * * Gol, Gilan, a village in Gilan Province, Iran * Gol, South Khorasan, a village in South Khorasan Province, Iran * Gol, Bukan, a village in West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Gol, Chaldoran, a village in West Azerbaijan ...

TAM Airlines TAM may refer to: Biology * Thioacetamide, an organosulfur compound * Tumor-associated macrophage, a class of immune cells * Transparent Anatomical Manikin, an educational model Technology * Tanque Argentino Mediano, the main battle tank of Arge ...

, and

TAP Portugal TAP Air Portugal is the currently state-owned flag carrier airline of Portugal, headquartered at Lisbon Airport which also serves as its hub. TAP – Transportes Aéreos Portugueses – has been a member of the Star Alliance since 2005 and oper ...

Accidents and incidents

*11 June 1947: Flota Aérea Mercante Argentina, an

Avro 691 Lancastrian The Avro 691 Lancastrian was a Canadian and British passenger and mail transport aircraft of the 1940s and 1950s developed from the Avro Lancaster heavy bomber. The Lancaster was named after Lancaster, Lancashire; a Lancastrian is an inhabita ...

registration LV-ACS flying from

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

to Natal struck a post on landing and caught fire. Of the 18 passengers and crew, 13 survived.

Access

The airport was located from downtown Natal.

References

External links

* * *
Augusto Severo International Airport Photo Archive at airliners.net
LIFE photo L.A.T.I Savoia-Marchetti SM.82 arrives while field being improved for U.S.

LIFE photo DC-2/DC-3 ferrying by PAA to British by old Air France hangar Parnamarim

LIFE photo DC-2/DC-3 ferrying by PAA to British by L.A.T.I hangars Parnamarim

LIFE photo Pan American Boeing 314 Clipper at Natal Marine terminal {{authority control Defunct airports in Brazil Natal, Rio Grande do Norte Airports disestablished in 2014 2014 disestablishments in Brazil

History

Accidents and incidents

Access

See also

References

External links