World City Guide

Getting There By Air

Aeroporto Internacional do Rio de Janeiro/Galeo Antonio Carlos Jobim International Airport (GIG)
Tel: (21) 3398 4106. Fax: (21) 3398 3581.
Website: www.infraero.gov.br

Rio International Airport is an important hub for flights from Europe and North America, as well as for major domestic flights, serving over six million passengers per year. It is located on Ilha do Governador, in Guanabara Bay, some 20km (13 miles) north of Rio. There is easy access from the airport to the city by road.

Major airlines: Brazil’s national airline, Varig (tel: (21) 2534 0333; fax: (21) 2210 3871; website: www.varig.com.br), connects Rio to international and domestic destinations. Many airlines operate frequent flights to Rio International Airport, including Aerolineas Argentinas, Air France, American Airlines, British Airways, Continental, Delta Airlines, Iberia, Qantas, TAP, United Airlines and Vasp.

Airport facilities: Facilities include a 24-hour bank, several bureaux de change, ATMs, a selection of restaurants, shops, duty free, a pharmacy, post office, 24-hour hospital, tourist information and car hire from Avis, Hertz and Localiza.

Business facilities: Guests at the airport’s Luxor Aeroporto hotel (tel: (21) 2468 8998; fax: (21) 3398 3983; e-mail: aeroporto@luxor-hotels.com.br; website: www.luxor-hotels.com) may use the hotel’s business and conference facilities. Diners Club cardholders have access to the Diners Club VIP Lounge (tel: (21) 2462 3379), which provides refreshments and business facilities. The lounge is open daily 0630–2300 and is located on the second floor at the international voyages registration desk.

Transport to the city: Real (tel: (21) 2560 7041) operates air-conditioned buses from the first floor of the airport to Receiro dos Bandeirantes, via the city centre, the Rodoviria Novo Rio bus terminal, Santos Dumont Airport (see below), Flamengo and along the seafront between Copacabana, Ipanema and Leblon, where many hotels are situated. The bus runs approximately every 15 minutes daily 0500–2300 (journey time – 45 minutes to 1 hour) and costs R$5 (per journey). Fixed-rate taxis can be booked at the kiosk near the airport arrivals gate. The fare is R$56 to Copacabana and R$42 to the city centre.

Aeroporto Santos Dumont (SDU)
Tel: (21) 3814 7070. Fax: (21) 2533 2218.
Website: www.infraero.gov.br

Situated beside the city, on Guanabara Bay, the domestic airport of Santos Dumont serves the Rio to So Paulo shuttle (departing every 30 minutes 0630–1845, with a limited service on weekends) and other small domestic flights, air taxis and private planes.

Major airlines: Transbrasil (tel: (21) 297 4422 or (0800) 151 151), Varig (tel: (21) 2534 0333; fax: (21) 2210 3871; website: www.varig.com.br) and Vasp (tel: (21) 3814 8081; website: www.vasp.com.br/en) all provide domestic services.

Airport facilities: Tourist information, left-luggage, banking and exchange facilities are available along with car hire from Avis and Hertz.

Business facilities: Diners Club cardholders have access to the Diners Club VIP Lounge (tel: (21) 2532 4167), which provides refreshments as well as business facilities, including a fax machine, photocopying, computers and Internet connection. The lounge is open daily 0600–2000 and is located on the main floor in arrivals.

Transport to the city: The airport is served by the Real (tel: (21) 2560 7041) bus service into the city centre (see above), which costs R$5 (journey time – 20 minutes). Taxis are also readily available and cost between R$5 and R$10 to the Centro. A trip to Copacabana costs approximately R$15. It is a 15-minute walk to the Centro from Santos Dumont airport.

Approximate flight times to Rio de Janeiro: From London is 11 hours; from New York is 10 hours; from Los Angeles is 14 hours; from Toronto is 12 hours and from Sydney is 20 hours.

Arrival/departure tax: The international departure tax is US$36. Domestic departure tax is between US$3 and US$5. Both are payable upon departure, in either R$ or US$, although not a combination of the two.