Departure
95%
vs 95% ▼ 1
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Senador Nilo Coelho Airport (SBPL) serves the city of Petrolina in the north-eastern Brazilian state of Pernambuco, at the heart of the Sao Francisco valley's fruit-growing region. It is a medium-sized airport with a single long runway, offering scheduled airline connections as well as general aviation access to this important regional hub.
Senador Nilo Coelho Airport, known by its IATA code PNZ, lies just outside Petrolina in Pernambuco state and is the principal air gateway to the fruit-farming districts of the middle Sao Francisco river valley. It is operated as part of the Infraero network and handles a mix of scheduled airline traffic and general aviation movements, making it a useful and reasonably well-equipped destination for a visiting VFR pilot in this part of north-eastern Brazil.
The airport sits close to the twin cities of Petrolina and Juazeiro, which straddle the Sao Francisco river on the Pernambuco-Bahia state border. Its published elevation is 1,253 feet above mean sea level, and it lies at approximately 9.3675 South, 40.5636 West.
Senador Nilo Coelho Airport has a single hard-surfaced runway, oriented 13/31, and both directions are lit for night operations. The available landing distances differ between the two thresholds: 9,056 feet is declared for runway 13, while 10,666 feet is declared for runway 31, giving ample length for a wide range of aircraft. There is no ILS installed on the field.
Traffic at Petrolina is worked by an AFIS (Aerodrome Flight Information Service) rather than a full air traffic control tower, transmitting on 125.7 MHz. Pilots should expect to receive traffic and aerodrome information rather than positive control clearances, and should maintain a good listening watch and standard calls on this frequency when operating in the vicinity.
Senador Nilo Coelho Airport continues to handle scheduled airline services under the IATA designator PNZ, alongside general aviation movements, and is operated within the Infraero airport network. The long runway and lit surface support both day and night operations for a variety of aircraft types using the field as the main air link for the Petrolina and Juazeiro area.