Hercílio Luz International Airport

Florianópolis–Hercílio Luz International Airport Aeroporto Internacional de Florianópolis–Hercílio Luz
IATA: FLN ICAO: SBFL LID: SC0001
Summary
Airport type	Public/Military
Operator	Infraero (1974–2017) Zurich Airport Brasil (2017–present)
Serves	Florianópolis
Opened	1927
Focus city for	Azul Brazilian Airlines Gol Transportes Aéreos
Time zone	BRT (UTC−03:00)
Elevation AMSL	5 m / 17 ft
Coordinates	27°40′13″S 048°33′09″W
Website	floripa-airport.com
Map
FLN Location in Brazil
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 03/21 1,320 4,331 Concrete 14/32 2,400 7,874 Asphalt
Statistics (2024)
Passengers 4,906,929 24% Aircraft Operations 48,746 11%
Statistics: Floripa Airport[1] Sources: Airport Website,[2] ANAC,[3] DECEA[4]

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.

It is operated by Zurich Airport Brasil.

Some of its facilities are shared with the Florianópolis Air Force Base of the Brazilian Air Force.

History

The airport was built on the site of an old Air Naval Base, which operated until 1941, when its jurisdiction changed to the Brazilian Air Force.

Between 1927 and 1932, the then known as Campeche Field was also used by the French aviators of the Compagnie Générale Aéropostale for its operations in Florianópolis. Among them were Jean Mermoz, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and Henri Guillaumet.

Campeche Field in 1933

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 m^2.

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:

Airlines	Destinations
Aerolíneas Argentinas	Seasonal: Buenos Aires–Aeroparque, Córdoba (AR), Rosario
Azul Brazilian Airlines	Belo Horizonte–Confins, Campinas, Chapecó, Curitiba, Foz do Iguaçu Seasonal: Asunción, Cuiabá, Goiânia, Montevideo, Pelotas, Recife, Santo Ângelo, Uruguaiana
Copa Airlines	Panama City–Tocumen
Flybondi	Buenos Aires–Aeroparque, Buenos Aires–Ezeiza
Gol Linhas Aéreas	Brasília, Buenos Aires–Aeroparque, Rio de Janeiro–Galeão, São Paulo–Congonhas, São Paulo–Guarulhos Seasonal: Buenos Aires–Ezeiza, Caxias do Sul, Córdoba (AR), Rosario, Salvador da Bahia
JetSmart Argentina	Buenos Aires–Ezeiza
JetSmart Chile	Santiago de Chile
LATAM Brasil	Brasília, Rio de Janeiro–Galeão, São Paulo–Congonhas, São Paulo–Guarulhos
LATAM Chile	Santiago de Chile
Paranair	Seasonal: Asunción
Sky Airline	Santiago de Chile Seasonal charter: Córdoba (AR),[11] Mendoza[11]
Sky Airline Peru	Lima, Montevideo
TAP Air Portugal	Lisbon
Voepass^a	Pelotas, Santa Maria, São Paulo–Congonhas

Note:
^a: Flights operated with Voepass equipment on behalf of LATAM Brasil.

Cargo

Airlines	Destinations
LATAM Cargo Brasil	Miami[12]
Total Linhas Aéreas	Curitiba, São Paulo-Guarulhos

Statistics

Old terminal building

Check-in hall in 2019

Following is the number of passenger, aircraft and cargo movements at the airport, according to Infraero (2007-2017) and Zurich Airport (2018-2023) reports:[13][14][1]

Year	Passenger	Aircraft	Cargo (t)
2024	4,906,929 24%	48,746 11%
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 Sul Douglas 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.[15]
• 12 April 1980: a Transbrasil Boeing 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.[16][17]

Access

The airport is located 14 km (9 mi) from downtown Florianópolis.

See also

• List of airports in Brazil
• Florianópolis Air Force Base

References

1. "Estatísticas, dados e documentos". Floripa Airport (in Portuguese). Retrieved 26 January 2025.
2. "Floripa Airport". Floripa Airport (in Portuguese). Retrieved 12 May 2022.
3. "Aeródromos". ANAC (in Portuguese). 15 October 2019. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
4. "Hercílio Luz (SBFL)". DECEA (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2 September 2023.
5. "Flughafen Zürich AG wins concession for airport in Brazil". Flughafen Zürich. 16 March 2017. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
6. Martins, Marcos (28 September 2019). "CEO do Floripa Airport explica investimento no novo terminal" [Floripa Airport CEO explains investment in the new terminal]. Panrotas (in Portuguese). São Paulo. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
7. Martins, Marcos (28 September 2019). "Autoridades inauguram novo aeroporto de Florianópolis" [Authorities open new Florianópolis Airport]. Panrotas (in Portuguese). São Paulo. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
8. "SEU CONFORTO LÁ NAS ALTURAS". Floripa Airport. 10 March 2019. Archived from the original on 4 April 2019. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
9. "Veja fotos do novo aeroporto de Florianópolis". Panrotas (in Portuguese). 29 September 2019. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
10. "TAP Air Portugal aterriza pela primeira vez em Florianópolis". Floripa Airport (in Portuguese). 3 September 2024. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
11. "SKY Airline operará mais duas rotas para o Brasil". Flap International (in Portuguese). 31 October 2024. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
12. "Expansão da rota de Miami a Florianópolis é avaliada após ótimo desempenho". Aeroin (in Portuguese). 17 August 2021. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
13. "Anuário Estatístico Operacional" (PDF). Infraero (in Portuguese). 12 April 2012. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
14. "Estatísticas". Infraero (in Portuguese). Retrieved 20 January 2024.
15. "Accident description PP-CCX". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 21 July 2011.
16. "Accident description PT-TYS". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 21 July 2011.
17. 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. ISBN 978-85-7430-760-2.

External links

• Airport information for SBFL at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF (effective October 2006).
• Current weather for SBFL at NOAA/NWS
• Accident history for FLN at Aviation Safety Network