Transform Your Flight Sim Experience
with In-Depth Tracking & Analysis
Track every flight, analyse your performance,
and master your flying skills with My FS Flights
Get 10 flights free every month!
Tracked and analysed flights over miles
Rio Branco-Plácido de Castro International Airport is the main gateway to the Amazonian state of Acre in western Brazil, serving the state capital of Rio Branco with an ILS-equipped runway suitable for jet operations. Operated by Vinci SA under a long-term concession, it replaced the former Presidente Médici International Airport in 1999 and handles both domestic airline services and a variety of regional traffic, making it a useful and instructive stop for a VFR pilot exploring the region.
Rio Branco-Plácido de Castro International Airport serves Rio Branco, the capital of the Brazilian state of Acre, deep in the western Amazon basin. It opened on 22 November 1999 as a replacement for the city's former Presidente Médici International Airport, and since 2009 has carried the name of José Plácido de Castro, a leading figure of the Acrean Revolution. The field is operated by Vinci SA under a 30-year concession won in 2021, having previously been run by Infraero. For a simulator pilot, it offers an ILS-equipped runway set amid dense rainforest terrain, combining airline traffic with the character of a remote regional hub.
The airport lies close to Rio Branco, roughly 25 km from the city centre, in the Brazilian state of Acre near the country's western border region. It sits within Brazilian airspace under the jurisdiction of the DECEA aeronautical authority, with approach and tower services provided locally.
The airport has a single physical runway, 06/24, of hard surface construction and lit for night operations. Runway 24 is 6067 ft long, while runway 06 is 5599 ft long and equipped with an ILS approach.
Air traffic services are provided by Rio Branco Approach on 119.9 MHz and Rio Branco Tower on 118.7 MHz. Runway 06 is served by an ILS approach for instrument arrivals.
The airport was commissioned on 22 November 1999 as a direct replacement for the older Presidente Médici International Airport, which closed at that time. It was renamed in April 2009 in honour of José Plácido de Castro (1873-1908), a political leader of the Acrean Revolution. Infraero operated the field until April 2021, when Vinci SA secured a 30-year concession to run it. The airport has seen two notable accidents: on 30 August 2002 a Rico Linhas Aéreas Embraer EMB 120ER on a flight from Tarauacá crashed on approach during a rainstorm 1.5 km short of the runway, killing 23 of the 31 aboard; and on 29 October 2023 a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan bound for Envira crashed and exploded shortly after takeoff, killing all 12 people on board.
The airport continues to operate as Rio Branco's main air link, handling scheduled domestic services from carriers including Azul, Gol and LATAM to destinations such as Belo Horizonte-Confins, Brasília, Cruzeiro do Sul, Manaus and São Paulo-Guarulhos. It is operated by Vinci SA, which reported around 453,672 passengers and 8,006 aircraft movements in 2025.
