Departure
96%
vs 95% ▲ 1
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Congonhas is São Paulo's historic city-centre airport, a busy slot-restricted domestic hub sitting on high ground within the metropolitan area, close to the city's major business districts. For a simulator pilot it offers a demanding short-runway approach into dense controlled airspace, with a long and colourful aviation history dating back to 1936.
Congonhas Airport (ICAO: SBSP, IATA: CGH), officially São Paulo/Congonhas–Deputado Freitas Nobre Airport, is one of the four commercial airports serving São Paulo, Brazil, and is operated by AENA. It is a busy domestic hub for Gol Linhas Aéreas and LATAM Brasil, and a focus city for Azul Brazilian Airlines, operating under slot restrictions of a maximum of 30 operations per hour. For a sim pilot, Congonhas is notable for its short runways set within a dense urban environment and its position close to São Paulo's business districts, making it a challenging and rewarding VFR or IFR destination.
Congonhas lies within the São Paulo terminal control area, close to the city centre and near the business avenues of Paulista, Faria Lima and Luís Carlos Berrini. The airport sits at an elevation of 2608 feet on a hill that was originally chosen for its favourable winds and lack of vegetation. It is one of several airports serving the São Paulo conurbation, alongside the much larger Guarulhos International Airport.
Congonhas has two parallel hard-surfaced, lit runway pairs aligned 17/35. Runway 17R/35L is the longer, at 5942 feet (17R) and 6090 feet (35L), and is equipped with ILS on both thresholds. Runway 17L/35R is shorter, at 4702 feet (17L) and 4855 feet (35R), lit but without published ILS.
Aircraft should contact São Paulo Approach (Sao Paulo APP) on 119.8 MHz, with the airport's ATIS broadcasting on 127.65 MHz. Clearance delivery and ground movements are handled on 120.6 MHz (CLD) and 121.9 MHz (CLNC DEL/GND), with São Paulo Tower (Sao Paulo TWR) on 127.15 MHz. Instrument approaches are supported by ILS 109.3 MHz (identifier ISP) serving runway 17R, and ILS 109.7 MHz (identifier ISO) serving runway 35L.
Congonhas was first planned in 1919 but did not open until 12 April 1936, initially as the private airport of VASP and built as an alternative to Campo de Marte, which already suffered operational difficulties at the time. It opened with a single 300-metre dirt runway. VASP began services to Rio de Janeiro on 5 August 1936, advertising two daily round trips of 90 minutes each way, a route that would go on to become one of the busiest in the world. By 1957 Congonhas was the third-busiest airport in the world for air cargo, and through the 1950s it handled all of São Paulo's international flights, its runways able to accommodate Lockheed Constellations, Douglas DC-6s and DC-7s. As early jets such as the Boeing 707 and Douglas DC-8 entered service, long-haul traffic shifted to Viracopos Airport and European airlines left Congonhas permanently. On 21 May 1959 Varig, Cruzeiro do Sul and VASP formed the famous Ponte Aérea (Air Bridge) shuttle service to Rio de Janeiro–Santos Dumont, inspired by the Berlin Airlift, with its first flight on 6 July 1959; the service offered departures roughly every half hour with a common check-in and simplified formalities, and Sadia (later Transbrasil) joined in 1968. The Air Bridge ran until it was discontinued in 1999. Congonhas remained São Paulo's main airport for domestic flights, and for international services to neighbouring countries such as Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Chile, Peru and Bolivia, until 1985. Its short runways were unable to accommodate most long-haul jets, so intercontinental travellers typically connected via Rio de Janeiro–Galeão. The opening of Guarulhos Airport in 1985 ended international operations at Congonhas and brought restrictions on domestic services, though the field has remained a major hub for regional and short-haul domestic traffic given the concentration of Brazil's economy in the São Paulo region. The airport was renamed in honour of Deputy José Freitas Nobre on 19 June 2017, though the name Congonhas remains in common use.
Congonhas continues to operate as a major domestic hub, serving as a base for Gol Linhas Aéreas and LATAM Brasil and as a focus city for Azul Brazilian Airlines, under a slot restriction limiting movements to 30 per hour. It remains one of the busiest airports in Brazil for both passenger and cargo traffic, prized for its proximity to downtown São Paulo and the city's principal business districts.