Rio de Janeiro/Galeão – Antonio Carlos Jobim International Airport

Understand

The airport is named after Praia do Galeão (Galleon Beach), which is in front of the present passenger terminal of the Brazilian Air Force. It is the largest airport site in terms of area in Brazil. Since 2014 it has been operated by the concessionary Rio Galeão, a consortium formed by the Brazilian investor Odebrecht and Changi Airport Group, with a minority participation of the government-owned company Infraero, the previous operator.The new concessionary has been using the brand name RIOgaleão – Aeroporto Internacional Tom Jobim. Rio Galeão has revised, modified and upgraded the construction of a new pier with 26 new bridges, a new apron for 97 aircraft, and 2,640 car parking spaces were added in 2016-17. Infrastructure improvements give the airport ample room for projected growth through 2030. Passenger traffic at the airport was just under 18 million in 2025.

Buy

The Rio airport has several stores charging inflated prices for things you could buy elsewhere for much less, but there aren't as many stores as huge international hubs, so keep your expectations in check and plan to shop in towns and cities (which is always the common-sense approach). There are multiple duty-free shops in the terminal and a dizzying array of American and European luxury brands including Ralph Lauren, Michael Kors, and Hugo Boss. A smart traveler will avoid these so they can use their precious baggage space for more meaningful souvenirs that are uniquely Brazilian.

Sleep

1 Rio Aeroporto Hotel, Av. Vinte de Janeiro, S/N, Ilha do Governador, Rio de Janeiro, CEP 21941-570, Brazil (3rd floor of Antonio Carlos Jobim International Airport (Terminal 1)), ☏ +55 21 3383-9800, [email protected]. Check-in: 14:00, check-out: 12:00. The hotel has a restaurant, sauna, gym and free Wi-Fi, ideal for those with long connections at the airport. (updated Mar 2017) There are additional hotels on Ilha do Governador (the island) near and accessible from the Airport grounds:

2 Linx Galeão, Av Vinte de Janeiro s/n, Ilha do Governador, ☏ +55 21 2468-3400. (updated Sep 2023) 3 More 6, R. República Árabe da Síria, 203 - Jardim Guanabara, ☏ +55 21 96437-5064. (updated Sep 2023)