Belo Horizonte/Confins–Tancredo Neves International Airport Aeroporto Internacional Belo Horizonte/Confins–Tancredo Neves | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Operator |
| ||||||||||
| Serves | Belo Horizonte | ||||||||||
| Location | Confins, Brazil | ||||||||||
| Hub for | Azul Brazilian Airlines | ||||||||||
| Focus city for | Gol Transportes Aéreos | ||||||||||
| Time zone | BRT (UTC−03:00) | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 829 m / 2,721 ft | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 19°37′28″S 043°58′19″W / 19.62444°S 43.97194°W / -19.62444; -43.97194 | ||||||||||
| Website | www | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| Statistics (2025) | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| Statistics: BH Airport[1] Sources: Airport Website,[2] ANAC,[3] DECEA[4] | |||||||||||
Belo Horizonte/Confins–Tancredo Neves International Airport, formerly called Confins International Airport, (IATA: CNF, ICAO: SBCF) is the primary international airport serving Belo Horizonte, located in the municipality of Confins, in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Since 2 September 1986, the airport is named after Tancredo de Almeida Neves (1910–1985), President-elect of Brazil.[5]
It is operated by BH Airport S.A.
History
The airport was built by Infraero and inaugurated in 1984. Its purpose was to lessen the congestion of the city's original airport, Pampulha Airport, which at the time was operating at 120% of its capacity of 1.3 million passengers per year. It was expected that by 1990, passenger movement at Confins would be nearly 2 million passengers per year. However, it surpassed the 1 million passenger mark only 22 years later. Presently its maximum operational capacity is 22 million passengers per year.[6]
After its inauguration, just a small fraction of the capacity of Confins was used. This was partly due to its distance from downtown Belo Horizonte and, until recently, to the lack of satisfactory transportation alternatives for the pricey (about US$40) taxi rides. The over-crowded Pampulha Airport remained the airport of choice. In order to revert this scenario, in March 2005 the government of the state of Minas Gerais with the support of agencies of the Federal government decided to restrict Pampulha to operations of aircraft with capacity of up to 50 passengers.[7] In the months thereafter, most operations were forced to move to Confins and the airport gained a new momentum. At that time, 130 flights were transferred from Pampulha to Confins, increasing annual passenger flow from 350,000 to around 3.0 million that year.
The problems related to the distance of Confins to downtown Belo Horizonte were lessened by recent projects such as the improvement of the highway that links the city center to the airport (MG-10 highway), part of a larger project called Linha Verde (Green Line), which seeks to reduce the time needed to reach the airport.[8] Another project called the "Industrial Airport" is underway. In this project the government will exempt tax of businesses interested in settling their operations near the airport.[9]
Its cargo facilities have a capacity of handling 18.000 tones (39.682.000 lb) and the warehouse has 6.400 m2 (68.889 ft²).
The main maintenance facilities of Gol Airlines are located at this airport.[10]
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, Confins was considered to be requiring attention, operating between 70% and 85% of its capacity.[11]
Recent History
On 26 April 2011, it was confirmed that in order to speed-up much needed renovation and upgrade works, private companies would be granted a concession to explore some Infraero airports - among them, in a later phase, Confins.[12] The plan was confirmed on 31 May 2011 and it was added that Infraero would retain 49% of the shares of each privatized airport and that negotiations were expected to be concluded in the first half of 2012.[13]
On 22 November 2013, the Brazilian Government had a bidding process to determine the operator of the airport from 2014 until the next few years. The group Aerobrasil, also known as BH Airport, formed by the Brazilian investment company CCR (75%) and by the Swiss operator Flughafen Zürich AG (25%) won the bid.[14][15] On April 26, 2025 CCR was rebranded as Motiva.[16]
On 16 September 2015, all international operations were transferred to a new provisional terminal - Terminal 3 while domestic operations remained in Terminal 1.[17]
The construction of Terminal 2 - an extension of Terminal 1 - started in September 2015 and finished in December 2016. It increased the airports capacity to 22 million passengers per year. On 8 December 2016 Terminal 2 was opened for domestic operations and in January 2017 international operations were transferred from Terminal 3. With the transfer of operations, Terminal 3 was closed.[18]
On 31 August 2009, the previous concessionary, Infraero, unveiled a BRL342.3 million (US$180.3 million; EUR126.4 million) investment plan to upgrade Tancredo Neves International Airport, focusing on the preparations for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The investment was supposed to be distributed as follows:[19]
- Parking. Value 6.8. Completed: July 2010[20]
- Extension of runway, enlargement of apron and cargo terminal, construction of further taxiways. Value 120.0. Completed.
- Renovation of the passenger terminal. Value 215.5.
As of March 2016, only the parking lot and the apron expansion works have been completed. After many successive postponements due to budget cuts and judicial disputes between the airport administration, Infraero, the federal government and the contractors, the lengthening of the runway to 3,600 metres (11,800 ft) was completed in June 2016.[21]
As part of the concession, BH Airport committed itself to construct a new parallel runway with a length of 2,500 metres (8,200 ft), connecting taxiways and service roads as well as a multi-storey car park until 2020.[22]
On November 18, 2025 the entire airports portfolio of Motiva (formerly CCR) was sold to the Mexican airport operator ASUR. Motiva will cease to operate airports.[23] On February 10, 2026 the transaction was still pending government approval.
Airlines and destinations
Passenger
Statistics
Following are the number of passenger, aircraft and cargo movements at the airport, according to Infraero (2007-July 2014) and BH Airport (August 2014-2025) reports:[75][76][1]
| Year | Passenger | Aircraft | Cargo (t) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 13,321,333 | 118,306 | |
| 2024 | 12,357,280 | 114,194 | |
| 2023 | 10,510,245 | 98,971 | |
| 2022 | 9,537,289 | 91,206 | |
| 2021 | 6,899,849 | 66,651 | |
| 2020 | 4,811,942 | 46,619 | |
| 2019 | 11,119,878 | 102,269 | |
| 2018 | 10,673,262 | 101,295 | |
| 2017 | 10,164,077 | 99,659 | |
| 2016 | 9,638,798 | 99,422 | |
| 2015 | 11,304,284 | 113,527 | |
| 2014 | 10,869,036 | 107,236 | |
| 2013 | 10,301,288 | 109,257 | 12,223 |
| 2012 | 10,398,296 | 120,149 | 10,337 |
| 2011 | 9,534,987 | 108,130 | 16,009 |
| 2010 | 7,261,064 | 84,851 | 13,404 |
| 2009 | 5,617,171 | 70,122 | 16,826 |
| 2008 | 4,826,193 | 59,541 | 21,608 |
| 2007 | 4,316,411 | 51,226 | 19,758 |
Accidents and incidents
- 15 September 2001: a TAM Airlines Fokker 100 registration PT-MRN operating the charter flight 9755, flying from Recife to Campinas-Viracopos, following an uncontrolled engine failure en route to Campinas had 3 cabin windows shattered by fragments of the engine and made an emergency landing at Belo Horizonte-Confins. One passenger was sucked out partly and held by another passenger until the aircraft landed. The passenger did not survive.[77][78]
Access
The airport is located 44 km (27 mi) north of downtown Belo Horizonte. It is regularly served by buses, taxis and Executive Airport Shuttle Buses. When using buses, transfer to the Belo Horizonte metro is possible.
See also
References
- "Estatísticas de passageiros e aeronaves". BH Airport (in Portuguese). Retrieved 28 February 2026.
- "Aeroporto Internacional de Belo Horizonte". BH Airport (in Portuguese). Retrieved 12 May 2022.
- "Lista de aeródromos públicos". ANAC (in Portuguese). Retrieved 12 May 2022.
- "Tancredo Neves (SBCF)". DECEA (in Portuguese). Retrieved 21 December 2023.
- "Lei nº 7.534, de 2 de setembro de 1986". Presidência da República (in Portuguese). 2 September 1986. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
- url=http://www.bh-airport.com.br/novoaeroporto/ Archived 20 September 2018 at the Wayback Machine
- "Portaria n 189/DGAC, de 8 de março de 2005" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Ministério da Aeronáutica; Departamento de Aviação Civil. 10 March 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 August 2010. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
- "Linha Verde: O maior conjunto de obras em Belo Horizonte (Green Line: The greatest set of construction works in Belo Horizonte)" (in Portuguese). Sociedade Mineira de Engenheiros. 1 June 2001. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 19 May 2011.
- "Governo e iniciativa privada debatem aeroporto industrial (Government and private enterprise debate the industrial airport)" (in Portuguese). Governo de Minas: Secretaria de Estado de Desenvolvimento Econômico. Archived from the original on 24 March 2012. Retrieved 19 May 2011.
- "Brazil MRO sector poised for major expansion". Flightglobal. 6 July 2010. Archived from the original on 27 July 2012. Retrieved 6 July 2010.
- "Governo muda critério de avaliação e 'melhora' desempenho de aeroportos" (in Portuguese). O Estado de S. Paulo. 19 May 2011. Archived from the original on 22 May 2011. Retrieved 20 May 2011.
- Bitencourt, Rafael (26 April 2011). "Governo define concessão de obras em 3 aeroportos, diz Palocci (Government defines concession of works in 3 airports, says Palocci)" (in Portuguese). Valor Online. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - Salomon, Marta; Monteiro, Tânia (1 June 2011). "Governo pretende privatizar três aeroportos e abrir o capital da Infraero (Government intends to privatize three airports and make Infraero's capital public)" (in Portuguese). O Estado de S. Paulo: Economia. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
- Sakate, Marcelo (27 November 2013). "A privatização decola" [Privatization takes-off]. Veja (in Portuguese). 46 (48). São Paulo: 98.
- "BH assina contrato de concessão do Aeroporto Internacional de Belo Horizonte, em Confins" [Belo Horizonte signs the concession contract of the International Airport at Confins] (in Portuguese). 7 April 2014. p. 2. Archived from the original on 28 May 2014. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
- "CCR agora é Motiva". Neofeed (in Portuguese). 14 July 2025. Retrieved 28 February 2026.
- "Terminal 3 começa a operar no dia 16/9" [Terminal 3 starts operating on September 9] (in Portuguese). bh-airport. Archived from the original on 1 October 2015. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
- "Linha do Tempo" [Timeline] (in Portuguese). bh-airport. Archived from the original on 8 May 2017. Retrieved 14 April 2017.
- Rittner, Daniel; Braga, Paulo Victor (31 August 2009). "Infraero vai gastar R$5 bi em reforma de aeroportos" [Infraero is going to spend R$5 bn in airport renovation]. Valor Econômico (in Portuguese). pp. A4. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 8 July 2011.
- "Aeroporto de Confins (MG) amplia estacionamento de veículos" [Confins Airport (MG) expands vehicle parking] (in Portuguese). Jornal de Turismo. 26 July 2010. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
- Franco, Pedro Rocha (24 January 2016). "Conclusão da expansão da pista de pouso do aeroporto de Confins é novamente adiada" [Completion of Confins airport runway expansion is postponed again]. O Estado de Minas (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 9 April 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
- "Projeto de Expansão" [Expansion project] (in Portuguese). bh-airport. Archived from the original on 8 May 2017. Retrieved 14 April 2017.
- "Motiva (MOTV3) vende aeroportos para Asur por R$ 11,5 bilhões". Infomoney (in Portuguese). 19 November 2025. Retrieved 28 February 2026.
- Atualizado, F5 News-Sergipe (8 August 2023). "Aracaju terá voos diretos para Belo Horizonte a partir de outubro". F5 News - Sergipe Atualizado (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 31 March 2026.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - "Azul anuncia voos entre Confins e Aracati a partir de outubro". Airway (in Portuguese). 23 March 2026. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
- "Araxá terá voos diretos para o Aeroporto de Guarulhos pela Azul a partir do inicio de 2024; Divinópolis, ?". DiviNews (in Brazilian Portuguese). 31 October 2023. Retrieved 31 March 2026.
- "Aeroporto de Confins passa a receber voos inéditos da Azul". Portal Eventos (in Brazilian Portuguese). 14 January 2021. Retrieved 31 March 2026.
- "Aeroporto de Campina Grande passa a ostentar a maior malha aérea da sua história" (in Brazilian Portuguese). 26 April 2024. Retrieved 31 March 2026.
- "Com jatos Embraer E2, Azul reinaugura rota direta entre Campo Grande e Confins-BH". Aeroin (in Portuguese). 1 April 2026. Retrieved 1 April 2026.
- "Aeroporto de Imperatriz terá rota inédita para Belo Horizonte a partir do dia 5 de setembro". AF (in Brazilian Portuguese). 11 July 2018. Retrieved 31 March 2026.
- "Azul volta a operar em Ipatinga (MG) com cinco voos diários". NewsAvia. 21 September 2021. Retrieved 31 March 2026.
- "Azul terá voos diretos entre Macapá e Belo Horizonte a partir de novembro". Diário do Comércio (in Portuguese). 11 May 2026. Retrieved 11 May 2026.
- Monteiro, Luiz Fara (27 June 2024). "Rota que liga Belo Horizonte a Manaus é inaugurada no BH Airport". Noticias R7 (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 31 March 2026.
- "BH Airport passa a ter voo direto para Montevidéu a partir de Março pela Azul". Brasilturis (in Portuguese). 20 January 2026. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
- "Confins Airport gains new direct international flights and strengthens its air hub". Aeroflap. 26 June 2023. Retrieved 31 March 2026.
- Menezes, Pedro (1 March 2023). "Azul inicia voos entre Belo Horizonte e Palmas" (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 31 March 2026.
- "Azul retoma voos em Parnaíba e liga litoral do Piauí diretamente a Confins a partir de novembro". Aeroin (in Portuguese). 25 June 2026. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
- "Patos de Minas e Paracatu terão voos diretos para Belo Horizonte". G1 (in Brazilian Portuguese). 24 September 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2026.
- Ferreira, Carlos (21 January 2026). "With Embraer jets, Azul expands to Rondônia with new routes departing from Cuiabá, Confins and Viracopos". Retrieved 31 March 2026.
- "BH Airport terá voo direto para Rio Branco, no Acre". Rádio Itatiaia (in Brazilian Portuguese). 7 October 2024. Retrieved 31 March 2026.
- Pacelli, Shirley (3 January 2024). "Will flights from Confins to Rio only land at Galeão Airport? Find out why". Retrieved 31 March 2026.
- "Azul Linhas Aéreas retomará voos de Confins para Santarém, no Pará". Aeroin (in Portuguese). 13 March 2026. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
- "Azul inicia voo direto entre Belo Horizonte e Teresina". Turismo (in Brazilian Portuguese). 31 October 2023. Retrieved 31 March 2026.
- "Voo direto para Montevidéu saindo de Confins abre nova conexão para passageiros de Uberaba". JM Online (in Brazilian Portuguese). 20 January 2026. Retrieved 31 March 2026.
- "Azul offers direct flight from Viracopos to Comandatuba". Aeroflap. 10 October 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2026.
- "Azul deixa de voar para 12 cidades a partir de março; veja lista". Panrotas (in Portuguese). 24 January 2025. Retrieved 26 January 2025.
- "Azul suspende voos em 14 cidades brasileiras; veja lista". Veja.Abril (in Portuguese). 22 February 2025. Retrieved 23 February 2025.
- "Aeroporto de Caldas Novas terá grande aumento no movimento durante o período das férias em relação ao ano passado". Aeroin (in Portuguese). 19 June 2026. Retrieved 19 June 2026.
- "Azul retoma voos sazonais para Argentina e Curaçao durante férias de julho". Aeroin (in Portuguese). 3 June 2026. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
- "Azul retoma voos de Belo Horizonte para Fort Lauderdale em julho". aeroin (in Portuguese). 23 April 2025. Retrieved 24 April 2025.
- "Navegantes Airport will operate 24 hours a day during the summer season". Aeroflap. 25 November 2024. Retrieved 31 March 2026.
- "Iniciada a venda de passagens aéreas para a rota entre Confins e Diamantina, pela Azul com aviões Grand Caravan". aeroin (in Portuguese). 25 May 2026. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
- "Azul Linhas Aéreas formaliza interesse na retomada de voos comerciais no Aeroporto de Divinópolis". DiviNews (in Brazilian Portuguese). 27 February 2024. Retrieved 31 March 2026.
- "Azul inicia voos entre Linhares (ES) e Belo Horizonte (MG)". Turismo (in Brazilian Portuguese). 4 December 2023. Retrieved 31 March 2026.
- "Minas Gerais abre rota e vendas de passagens de voo direto para Manhuaçu" (in Brazilian Portuguese). 26 July 2023. Retrieved 31 March 2026.
- "Azul anuncia voos para Varginha, Patos de Minas, Paracatu e Teófilo Otoni | O TEMPO" (in Brazilian Portuguese). 23 September 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2026.
- "BH terá voos da Azul direto para a Barra da Tijuca; saiba como vai funcionar" (in Brazilian Portuguese). 3 July 2024. Retrieved 31 March 2026.
- "Voos de Belo Horizonte para São João del-Rei, antiga capital de Minas, serão retomados em breve". aeroin (in Portuguese). 19 May 2026. Retrieved 19 May 2026.
- "Azul anuncia voos para Varginha, Patos de Minas, Paracatu e Teófilo Otoni | Diário Popular MG". 24 September 2024. Retrieved 31 March 2026.
- Calixto, Filip (1 September 2023). "Copa aumentará frequência de voos a partir de BH em 2024". Portal PANROTAS (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 31 March 2026.
- Benevides, Gabriel (9 February 2024). "Pará receives tribute from GOL with stickered plane". Aeroflap. Retrieved 31 March 2026.
- Minas, Estado de (18 December 2023). "Aeroporto de Confins retoma voo direto de BH para Buenos Aires". Estado de Minas (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 31 March 2026.
- Vieira, Rodrigo (13 March 2025). "Sem receber, Gol cancela todos os voos fretados da ViagensPromo". Portal PANROTAS (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 31 March 2026.
- Sales, Ana Luisa (17 March 2026). "BH Airport deve movimentar mais de 1,1 milhão de passageiros em março, mesmo sem efeito Carnaval". Diário do Comércio (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 31 March 2026.
- Monaco, Juliana (20 July 2020). "Gol e Latam transferem voos para Guarulhos durante 1 mês". Portal PANROTAS (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 31 March 2026.
- Calixto, Filip (2 March 2026). "Gol anuncia mais de 1,5 mil voos ao Rio para show da Shakira". Portal PANROTAS (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 31 March 2026.
- "Brazil Adds 64 New International Routes for 2026, Strengthening Global Connectivity". VisaHQ. 14 February 2026. Retrieved 31 March 2026.
- Renzi, Bruno (29 November 2024). "Gol Linhas Aéreas lança Orange Friday com passagens a partir de R$ 119" (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 31 March 2026.
- "LATAM Joins Air France, Emirates, and More: New 2026 Flights to Brazil, South Africa, Europe, and Asia — You Won't Believe the Destinations! - Travel And Tour World". 24 December 2025. Retrieved 31 March 2026.
- "Belo Horizonte terá voos diários para Fortaleza a partir de junho de 2026". Otempo (in Portuguese). 28 November 2025. Retrieved 28 November 2025.
- "LATAM inicia voos na rota Belo Horizonte – Porto Alegre, concorrendo com a Azul". Aeroin (in Portuguese). 2 September 2025. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
- Casey, David (14 June 2023). "LATAM Brasil Increases Chile Service". Aviation Week. Retrieved 31 March 2026.
- Cedeño, Karina (19 June 2024). "Sky Airline inicia operação do voo Belo Horizonte-Santiago do Chile". Portal PANROTAS (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 31 March 2026.
- "TAP Air Portugal comemora 60 anos de voos para o Brasil com rotas para 15 cidades diferentes no país". Aeroin (in Portuguese). 14 June 2026. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
- "Anuário Estatístico Operacional" (PDF). Infraero (in Portuguese). 12 April 2012. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
- "Estatísticas". Infraero (in Portuguese). Retrieved 22 January 2024.
- "Accident description PT-MRN". Aviation Safety Network. Archived from the original on 28 January 2012. Retrieved 23 May 2011.
- Marra, Lívia (16 September 2001). "Avião da TAM acidentado em Minas havia sido revisado no mês passado" [TAM plane involved in accident in Minas Gerais had been maintenance-checked in the previous month] (in Portuguese). Folha Online. Archived from the original on 17 October 2012. Retrieved 23 May 2011.
External links
Media related to Tancredo Neves International Airport at Wikimedia Commons- "Airport information for SBCF". DAFIF. October 2006 – via Great Circle Mapper.
- "Current weather for SBCF". NOAA/NWS.
- Accident history for CNF at Aviation Safety Network