Departure
100%
vs 95% ▲ 4
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Marechal Cunha Machado International Airport serves São Luís, the capital of Maranhão state in northern Brazil, and is the region's principal gateway with scheduled jet services from major domestic carriers. For the visiting VFR or IFR pilot it offers a long ILS-equipped main runway alongside a shorter crosswind strip, set a short distance from the city itself.
Marechal Cunha Machado International Airport (ICAO SBSL, IATA SLZ) is the international airport serving São Luís, the capital of the Brazilian state of Maranhão. Formerly known as Tirirical Airport, it has carried its present name since 17 October 1985, honouring Air Marshal Hugo da Cunha Machado, a native of Maranhão. The field is a large, internationally connected airport handling scheduled traffic from Azul, Gol, LATAM Brasil and, from late 2026, TAP Air Portugal, making it an interesting waypoint for simulator pilots flying domestic Brazilian routes or transatlantic services into the northeast of the country.
The airport lies in the Tirirical district of São Luís, roughly 15 kilometres from the city centre. As a large international aerodrome it sits within controlled airspace served by São Luís approach and tower.
The airfield has two physical runways, both hard-surfaced and lit. Runway 06/24 is the primary runway at 7,827 feet, with an ILS serving runway 06. Runway 09/27 is the secondary runway, with the 09 threshold giving 4,532 feet and the 27 threshold 4,807 feet.
Radio services are provided as São Luís Approach on 119.1 MHz, São Luís Tower on 118.7 MHz, and São Luís Operations on 122.05 MHz. An ILS is available for runway 06, supporting instrument approaches to the main runway.
The airfield's origins lie in 1942, when a thousand-metre grass strip - the forerunner of today's runway 09/27 - was laid to serve a Brazilian Army airbase and became São Luís's only means of receiving flights. Runway 06/24 was constructed the following year, 1943, as part of a United States base established at the site during the Second World War. Administrative and technical jurisdiction passed to Infraero in 1974. A new passenger terminal opened in June 1998, and in October 2004 the airport was upgraded to international category. The airport took its current name in October 1985, in honour of Air Marshal Hugo da Cunha Machado (1898-1989), a Maranhão-born officer.
Following decades of operation under Infraero, the airport was won under a 30-year concession by CCR in April 2021; CCR was rebranded as Motiva in 2025. In November 2025 Motiva's entire airport portfolio, including São Luís, was sold to the Mexican operator ASUR, a transaction still pending government approval as of February 2026. The airport currently handles scheduled passenger services from Azul, Gol and LATAM Brasil to a range of domestic destinations, with TAP Air Portugal due to begin flights to Lisbon in October 2026, alongside cargo operations by Gol.