Florianópolis-Hercílio Luz International Airport dubbed Floripa Airport, which is a subsidiary of the Zurich Airport Group, serving the city of Florianópolis in southern Brazil, recently welcomed its first ever incoming Boeing 747-400 flight.
The freighter flight, which was operated by Terra Avia air company from the Republic of Moldova, flew from China to Brazil carrying 700 cu m of hospital supplies, including of personal protective equipment, from a private importer.
The airport stated that the handling of the aircraft has helped it to realise its potential to process cargo from freighter flights in the future.
Ricardo Gesse, General Director, Florianópolis International Airport said in a statement, “It is on the same level as that of the five major airports in the country, in terms of cargo handling”.
“This flight is the realisation of the great potential of the Florianópolis International Airport, which Floripa Airport has always believed in and worked hard to demonstrate, namely, that our airport is excellently equipped to handle cargo,” Gesse said.
Gesse also observed that the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina, where Florianópolis International Airport is located, has what it takes to be a logistical hub in southern Brazil — partly due to apron and runway renovations carried out in 2018 and 2019.
“Our state has unique conditions for international transportation of goods by air, with one of the most attractive tax incentive programs in Brazil for this segment,” Gesse added.
Infrastructure improvements at Floripa Airport in the last two years such as expansion of the main runway for landing and takeoff; widening of the runway with the implementation of shoulders; increased patio capacity with the inauguration of the new terminal; and the construction of safety areas at the headboards, the so-called runway end safety area (RESA), were approved by ANAC in October last year, following which the airport received the aircraft code “E” or wide body.
