On Thursday afternoon, Florianópolis International Airport received an unprecedented operation: the flight of a Boeing 747-400F, one of the most appreciated planes in the aviation universe. The cargo plane, which weighs almost 400 kilos, made an intercontinental trip between China and the capital of Santa Catarina, bringing 700 cubic meters of goods of a hospital nature. They are PPE materials, from a private importer.

want to know more about Floripa Airport Cargo? Click here 

It is the first time that Florianópolis International Airport receives this model of aircraft. Twenty-five years ago, a similar but smaller and less heavy plane, a Boeing 25-747, had already made a stopover in the city. The landing of the 200-747F jumbo took place at 400:15 this Thursday and takeoff is scheduled for Friday (02). The operation is operated by the airline Terra Avia, from the Republic of Moldova, a European country neighboring Ukraine.

“This flight is the materialization of an aspect of Florianópolis International Airport, which Floripa Airport has always believed and worked hard to demonstrate: we are an airport with exceptional conditions for cargo handling, with infrastructure at the same level as the 5 main airports in the country for the sector” analyzes Ricardo Gesse, General Director of Floripa Airports.

Gesse also notes that Santa Catarina has what it takes to be a logistics hub in southern Brazil:

“We are a state with unique conditions for the international air transport of goods, with one of the most attractive tax incentive programs in Brazil for the segment”.

Patio and track works carried out by Floripa Airport are improvements that accredited the airport of Florianópolis for operations of this size and ensured the approval in October 2019, with Anac, of the airport to receive aircraft wide body or “E” code, like the jumbo. Are they:

●     The expansion of the main take-off and landing runway;

●     The widening of the runway with the implementation of shoulders;

●     The increase in yard capacity with the opening of the new terminal;

●     The construction of safety areas at the headwaters, the so-called RESA.

From an operational point of view, other characteristics are favorable conditions for operations with code E aircraft:

●     the resistance of the roadway pavement, recently attested by technical studies carried out by the concessionaire;

●     the low rate of airport closures due to meteorological issues, one of the lowest in the south/southeast axis;

●     the fact that the 2.400 meter runway is at sea level.

Another initiative by Floripa Airport to guarantee the operation with the jumbo aircraft was the partnership with Dnata, a ramp activity company (Ground Handling), specialized in the service of category E planes, a service that the Capital airport did not yet have.

"The Floripa Airport Cargo is a new player in the international air logistics scenario, which, from a national point of view, diversifies market options and, when looking at the local universe, brings many fruits to the state of Santa Catarina. Until now, what happened is that the international importer brought the air cargo through São Paulo and then depended on road transport to reach Santa Catarina. Now, we have left this total dependence on São Paulo, reducing import costs and time. It is a new scenario that generates employment in the region and moves our economy”, observes Gesse.

The operational efficiency of the airport's International Cargo Terminal, such as the security of the terminal, the agility in the release of goods (71% released within 24 hours) and the storage infrastructure, also contributed to the arrival of the boeing 747-400F, a flight that goes down in the history of Florianópolis International Airport.