Santarém–Maestro Wilson Fonseca International Airport is the airport serving Santarém,

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

. It is named after the composer Wilson Dias da Fonseca (1912–2002), who was born in Santarém. It is operated by

AENA ENAIRE is the air navigation manager in Spain, certified for the provision of enroute, approach and aerodrome control services. As a Statutory corporation, public corporate entity attached to the Ministry of Public Works (Spain), Spanish Minis ...

History

Santarém-Maestro Wilson Fonseca Airport is currently the 5th busiest airport of northern region of Brazil and it is located half-way between

Manaus Manaus () is the List of capitals of subdivisions of Brazil, capital and largest city of the States of Brazil, Brazilian state of Amazonas (Brazilian state), Amazonas. It is the List of largest cities in Brazil, seventh-largest city in Brazil, w ...

and

Belém Belém (; Portuguese for Bethlehem; initially called Nossa Senhora de Belém do Grão-Pará, in English Our Lady of Bethlehem of Great Pará), often called Belém of Pará, is the capital and largest city of the state of Pará in the north of B ...

, being an alternative for international flights. The airport was opened on March 31, 1977 and it was administrated by the

Brazilian Air Force The Brazilian Air Force (, FAB) is the air branch of the Brazilian Armed Forces and one of the three national uniformed services. The FAB was formed when the Brazilian Brazilian Army Aviation (1919–1941), Army and Brazilian Naval Aviation, Nav ...

until it was transferred to

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 ...

in the early 1980s. It replaced another facility which was located in a district that is now called "Old Airport" (), presently a highly populated residential district of the same name. The old runway was made into a large avenue with several squares and event venues. Previously operated by

, on August 18, 2022 the consortium

won a 30-year concession to operate the airport.

Airlines and destinations

Accidents and incidents

*28 November 1995: a TABA

Fairchild Hiller FH-227 Fairchild may refer to: Organizations * Fairchild Aerial Surveys, operated in cooperation with a subsidiary of Fairey Aviation Company * Fairchild Camera and Instrument * List of Sherman Fairchild companies, "Fairchild" companies * Fairchild F ...

registration PP-BUJ operating a cargo flight from Belém-Val de Cans to Santarém crashed on its second attempt to approach Santarém. A passenger occupied the co-pilot's seat. The crew of 2 and 1 of the 2 occupants died. *11 September 2008: a W&J Taxi Aéreo Embraer 711C Corisco registration PT-NNM operating a cargo flight from Alenquer to Santarém crashed 11 kilometers from the airport. The pilot declared emergency and ditched the aircraft into the

Tapajós river The Tapajós ( ) is a river in Brazil. It runs through the Amazon Rainforest and is a major tributary of the Amazon River. When combined with the Juruena River, the Tapajós is approximately long. Prior to a drastic increase in illegal gold mi ...

after running out of fuel. Of the 3 people aboard 2 survived and were rescued by a small boat that was passing by. The body of one passenger was later found 800m from the site. The aircraft was salvaged and investigated. *29 September 2011: A Beechcraft BE35 Bonanza registration PT-AVK lost radio contact with the control tower after departing. Officials later learned the aircraft had crashed in a nearby community. The pilot and a passenger perished in the crash. The investigation revealed the aircraft suffered an inflight catastrophic structural failure of the tail section due to poor maintenance and corrosion. *7 September 2017: A Piquiatuba Táxi Aéreo Cessna 210 registration PT-KKK on a

medevac Medical evacuation, often shortened to medevac or medivac, is the timely and efficient movement and en route care provided by medical personnel to patients requiring evacuation or transport using medically equipped air ambulances, helicopters an ...

flight to Piquiatuba (SNCJ), 16 km southeast of the airport. The airplane lost engine power and diverted to Santarém. Unable to reach the runway, the pilot decided to land the aircraft on a beach 4 km east of the runway. All 4 people on board survived. The investigation concluded the airplane did not have enough fuel for the flights it made, ultimately resulting in the crash due to fuel starvation to the engine. This accident resulted in Brazil's Aeronautical Accidents Investigation and Prevention Center (CENIPA) recommending the suspension of Piquiatuba Taxi Aéreo's license due to poor operational safety management.

Access

The airport is located from downtown Santarém.

Gallery

Image:Aeroporto de Santarém 2.jpg Image:Aeroporto de Santarém 5.jpg Image:Aeroporto de Santarém 4.jpg Image:B737-GolTransporte1643-GateB-SBSN.jpg

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Santarem-Maestro Wilson Fonseca Airport Airports in Pará