Brazil Airports Prepare for Bizjet Rush During Olympics

Brazil’s Sorocaba Airport will be a “bedroom community for business jets” during the Olympics Games this summer in Rio, according to Embraer, which established an FBO and MRO facility at the São Paulo-area airfield two years ago. Dassault Falcon and Gulfstream also selected the airport, which is 22 nm from São Paulo and 240 nm from Rio, as the location for their respective factory maintenance centers in Brazil.

Embraer received just 40 business jets during the month-long 2014 World Cup but can simultaneously park up to 25 large business jets between its hangar and ramp. The full-service FBO there is Embraer’s first. Its MRO is certified by Brazil’s ANAC and, just last month, EASA; FAA approval is expected before the Olympic torch arrives.

Meanwhile, space at Rio de Janeiro’s airports will be tighter than during the World Cup, with more than 100 head-of-state aircraft expected, with no plans yet announced for the high-density parking that handled business jets during the Cup final.

Last week, the Brazilian Air Force announced that Rio’s downtown Santos Dumont Airport will stretch its normal 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. hours until midnight for commercial flights and all night long for business aviation during the Olympics from August 3 to August 23. This will allow the airport to handle an additional 180 general aviation aircraft movements per night. However, the bayside airport will be closed afternoons August 8 to 18 during sailing events.

Slots for Olympics aircraft arrivals at eight Rio airports will be allocated starting in June.