Florianópolis–Hercílio Luz International Airport (IATA: FLN, ICAO: SBFL), branded Floripa Airport, is the airport serving Florianópolis, Brazil. It is named after Hercílio Pedro da Luz (1860–1924), three times governor of the state of Santa Catarina and senator.
Between 1942 and 1945, the runway 03/21, apron, control tower and passenger terminal were built. At the same time, some facilities of the Florianópolis Air Force Base were built and made operational.
In the period between 1952 and 1954, the passenger terminal was rebuilt and was operational until 1976 when a brand-new terminal building and apron were opened. The old facility is today the cargo terminal. The new terminal was further enlarged in 1988 and 2000, reaching the present 8,703 m2.
In 1978, the runway 14/32 was opened allowing a great increase in traffic. In 1995, the airport was upgraded to international category and started receiving particularly seasonal and charter flights from Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
On March 16, 2017, Flughafen Zürich AG was granted the concession to operate and expand the airport, owning 100% of it.[5]
On January 15, 2018, the new concessionaire began construction of a new terminal with 14 new gates - 3 international and 11 domestic. The cost of the project was BRL 570 million.[6] The new terminal, located on the opposite side of the main runway from the old one, was officially opened on September 28, 2019.[7] The main runway was also extended by 100 metres (330 ft), to 2,400 metres (7,900 ft).[8][6][7] Operations using the new terminal started on October 1, 2019.[9] In September 2024, TAP Air Portugal began nonstop service to Lisbon, giving Florianópolis its first flight to Europe.[10]
Airlines and destinations
The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter flights at Florianópolis Airport:
Following is the number of passenger, aircraft and cargo movements at the airport, according to Infraero (2007-2017) and Zurich Airport (2018-2023) reports:[14][15][1]
Year
Passenger
Aircraft
Cargo (t)
2023
3,969,940 17%
44,108 8%
2022
3,403,031 44%
40,936 29%
2021
2,358,800 26%
31,715 25%
2020
1,869,890 52%
25,360 41%
2019
3,918,230 2%
42,623 2%
2018
3,839,348
43,615 3%
2017
3,843,328 9%
44,795 1%
5,021 23%
2016
3,536,435 4%
44,250 7%
4,091 13%
2015
3,693,486 2%
47,347 7%
4,682 14%
2014
3,629,074 6%
50,707 6%
4,092 68%
2013
3,872,877 14%
54,216 3%
2,430 69%
2012
3,395,256 9%
56,086 14%
1,437 82%
2011
3,122,035 17%
49,097 13%
7,894 15%
2010
2,672,250 27%
43,399 9%
6,891 6%
2009
2,108,383 1%
39,790 1%
7,294 13%
2008
2,080,342 7%
39,464 8%
8,364 10%
2007
1,948,010
36,451
9,341
Accidents and incidents
22 March 1951: a Cruzeiro do SulDouglas C-53D-DO plane, registration PP-CCX while landing at Florianópolis crashed following an overshoot in bad weather and an engine failure. Of the 14 passengers and crew, 3 died.[16]
12 April 1980: a TransbrasilBoeing 727-27C operating flight 303 registration PT-TYS flying from São Paulo-Congonhas to Florianópolis while on a night instrumental approach to Florianópolis under a severe thunderstorm went off course, struck a hill and exploded. Probable causes are misjudgment of speed and distance, inadequate flight supervision, failure to initiate a go-around and improper operation of the engines. Of the 58 passengers and crew aboard, only 3 passengers survived.[17][18]
Access
The airport is located 14 km (9 mi) from downtown Florianópolis.
^Germano da Silva, Carlos Ari César (2008). "Transbrasil 303". O rastro da bruxa: história da aviação comercial brasileira no século XX através dos seus acidentes 1928–1996 (in Portuguese) (2 ed.). Porto Alegre: EDIPUCRS. pp. 313–317. ISBN978-85-7430-760-2.
