About The Airport

Privatized in 2014, RIOgaleão – Rio de Janeiro International Airport (GIG) operates under a 25-year concession and is majority-owned by Changi Airports International, the investment arm of the Changi Airports Group (a twelve-time winner of the prestigious Skytrax World’s Best Airport Award).

Since the concession began, RIOgaleão has implemented an ambitious US$500 million investment program, which included opening the new South Pier in 2016, increasing the airport’s annual capacity to 37 million passengers.

In 2016, RIOgaleão served as the official airport of the Summer Olympics, successfully processing most international athletes, teams, and visitors.  Every two years, RIOgaleão also serves as the official airport for Rock in Rio, one of the world’s largest music festivals.

RIOgaleão offers some of the highest service standards and best passenger experiences among Latin American airports, operating 100% of its flights using jet bridges, 24/7. For the past six years, it has ranked first or second for service quality among Brazil’s five largest airports. RIOgaleão offers passengers 85 food and beverage and retail outlets, featuring 580 international and national brands. Passengers also have access to seven modern international and domestic VIP lounges. Located just 20 minutes from downtown, the airport currently serves 21 airlines (four domestic and 17 international), connecting Rio to more than 23 international and 24 national destinations.

RIOgaleão was the first Brazilian airport to attract foreign low-cost carriers such as Norwegian, SKY, and Flybondi, and now boasts the highest number of LCC seats among all Brazilian airports.

Known for its creative and innovative approach to aviation marketing and traffic development, RIOgaleão received a high commendation for Excellence in Airport Marketing at the Routes America Awards in 2020 and won the National Tourism Award in the “Marketing and Commercialization of Tourism” category in 2018.