Fortaleza–Pinto Martins International Airport is the international

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial Aviation, air transport. They usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surf ...

serving

Fortaleza Fortaleza ( ; ; ) is the state capital of Ceará, located in Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeastern Brazil. It is Brazil's 4th largest city—Fortaleza surpassed Salvador, Bahia, Salvador in 2022 census with a population of slightly over 2.4 mi ...

, Brazil. It is named after ''Euclides Pinto Martins'' (1892–1924), a

Ceará Ceará (, ) is one of the 26 states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, northeastern part of the country, on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast. It is the List of Brazilian states by population, eighth-largest Brazilian State by ...

-born aviator who in 1922 was one of the pioneers of the air link between

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

. Some facilities are shared with Fortaleza Air Force Base.

History

Situated south of downtown Fortaleza, the airport had its origins on a runway built in the 1930s and used by Ceará Flying School until 2000. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the airport was an important Allied base supporting

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operations. On May 13, 1952, the original name, Cocorote Airport, was changed to its present name paying tribute to Ceará-born aviator ''Euclides Pinto Martins''. On July 21, 1953, within a law prescribing rules for the naming of airports, the name of the facility was officially and exceptionally maintained as Pinto Martins Airport. In 1966, a passenger terminal and

apron An apron is a garment worn over other clothing to cover the front of the body to protect from liquids. They have several purposes, most commonly as a functional accessory that protects clothes and skin from stains and marks. However, other typ ...

were built. On the north area, this former passenger terminal now serves as a general aviation terminal for private aircraft, where general aviation, executive, and air taxi operations occur. In 1997, the airport was upgraded to the status of international airport (Portaria 393 GM5, of June 9, 1997). From January 7, 1974, to December 31, 2017, the facility was operated by

Infraero Empresa Brasileira de Infraestrutura Aeroportuária (abr. Infraero) is a Brazilian government corporation founded in 1973, authorized by Law 5,862, that is responsible for operating the main List of the busiest airports in Brazil, Brazilian com ...

. Through a partnership between

, the

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, and the

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, a new 35,000 m² passenger terminal was built in the southern area. It was opened in February 1998. On August 31, 2009, Infraero unveiled a BRL 525

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(US$276.6 million, EUR 193.8 million) investment plan to upgrade the airport focusing on the preparations for the

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, which was held in Brazil, Fortaleza being one of the venue cities. The investment focused on the renovation and enlargement of the passenger terminal, apron, and parking with completion due in November 2013. 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, Fortaleza was considered to be requiring attention, operating between 70% and 85% of its capacity. On March 16, 2017, the concession of the airport was auctioned to the consortium Fraport AG of Frankfurt, Germany, for R$425 million for use for 30 years. Among the improvements established in the contract signed on July 28, 2017, was to renew and complete the investments of

related to the passenger terminal, and the lengthening of the runway. Following the auction, between June 2017 to 2018 a transition period took place in which Fraport and Infraero managed the airport. Since January 2, 2018, Fraport is the sole administrator. On April 27, 2018, the construction of the two-story terminal extension started as well as expansion of the terminal and tracks, a remodeled taxi and traffic area, and a redesigned airport road system with a viaduct. On June 25, 2019, a 60-position check-in area was opened, and finally on April 14, 2020, the renovation was completed. Presently, the airport can handle 4 million passengers per year, and it has 14 aircraft parking positions. Fraport launched the idea of an airport real estate project to call attention to investments in huge warehouses, shopping centers, and hotels, but nothing had been constructed. The present facility covers 531

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(1,312

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) of land with one runway.

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

Cargo

Statistics

Vista do Aeroporto Internacional de Fortaleza Pinto Martins

Following is the number of passenger, aircraft and cargo movements at the airport, according to

(2007-2017) and Fraport Brazil (2018-2024) reports:

Accidents and incidents

*June 8, 1982: a VASP Boeing 727-212 registration PP-SRK operating flight 168 from Rio de Janeiro-Galeão to Fortaleza collided with a mountain during approach procedures south to airport. Aircraft descended too low during approach. All 137 passengers and crew died. *October 21, 1998: a Capital Táxi Aéreo Embraer EMB 120 Brasília crashed into a house short of the runway during approach. All three people on board and one person on the ground died.

Access

The airport is located south of downtown Fortaleza.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pinto Martins - Fortaleza International Airport Airports in Ceará Buildings and structures in Fortaleza Transport in Fortaleza