Brazil faces a bigger challenge to host the Olympics in August in Rio de Janeiro than it did for the 2014 World Cup, with more commercial and charter flights arriving, and more heads of state, but the country’s airports and FBOs have greater capacity to receive business jets. Nonetheless, planning ahead should ensure a smooth trip. Current planning calls for ample business jet slots in Rio, but only between midnight and dawn, although authorities are working toward securing greater flexibility before opening GA slot reservations on July 1. Besides delivering passengers to Rio, business aviation must lodge aircraft and crew, and many will choose options outside the Olympic host city.
Rio’s only international airport, Aeroporto Internacional Tom Jobim, better known as Galeão, was privatized two years ago. RioGaleão operations director Herlichy Bastos, formerly American Airlines airport operations director in Brazil, reported, “There is no comparison between 2014 and 2016. It’s not the same airport.” He notes that the airport now has 97 certified, full-time parking spaces, 24 of them E-class. Besides increasing the number of physical spaces, the airport has added management tools, including apron control operating like a ramp tower. As a result, he said, “We have a real-time picture of the airport on the ground.” The airport expected/recently received {{TK from Richard}} approval for F-class aircraft, the A380 and the 747-8. Air France has scheduled an A380 for August 22, the day after the closing ceremony and certain to be the busiest for aviation, when charter flights for delegations will depart.
At Galeão, Lider Aviação is polishing details at its new 113,000-sq-ft flagship FBO, while Embraer notes that its FBO/MRO facility helps make São Paulo’s Sorocaba Airport an ideal “bedroom community” for jets. Also at the airport is WWA, which opened its FBO associated with Air Elite in February. TAM Aviação Executiva has boosted capacity at its countrywide network of bases for the Olympics, but principally in Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, Brasília, São Paulo and Manaus. Cabo Frio Airport, in the state of Rio but outside the city and its Olympic restrictions, suggests its 8,400-foot runway and 24-hour customs availability makes it the place to land in Brazil.
They fly horses, don’t they?
“The Olympics are the biggest event on the planet. There’s cargo, there’s chiefs of state, there’s military; all the players are here,” Bastos noted. For the World Cup, business aviation was the only category with a notable gain in traffic. The Olympics are expected to generate an uptick in other operations as well. The horses for the equestrian events arrive and depart at the busiest times, close to the dates of the opening and closing ceremonies, and must use Galeão; Emirates and Lufthansa (among others) have requested cargo slots, and airlines from all over are requesting slots.
The hundred heads of state expected don’t mean a hundred business jets, though. The Galeão Air Base will handle head-of-state flights and has capacity to handle three airplanes every 20 minutes. The airport’s ceremonial salão nobre will be used as an arrival and departure lounge for “VIP One” passengers, heads of state who arrive on commercial or charter flights.
Galeão will again have high-density business jet parking, which Jet Aviation managed for the World Cup final; selection of a third-party vendor for the Olympics is under way. Also, neither the cargo area used in 2014 will be available for business jet parking, nor will Taxiway Mike, needed for F-class aircraft, Bastos said, “The number that will fit now is from 80 to 120 aircraft, depending on the mix.”
Pressure on Galeão will be heavy from August 8 to 19, when Rio’s domestic Santos Dumont Airport will be closed afternoons during sailing events in the bay, and Galeão absorbs the extra scheduled flights. Jacarepaguá Airport, a GA field, will be closed to its normal business aviation and offshore oil and gas traffic, serving only police and such.
Security behind Moonlight Arrivals
Business jet slots will be limited to 2 a.m. to 8 a.m. at Galeão, and midnight to 6 a.m. at Santos Dumont, which is operating 24 hours a day for the Olympics, allowing an additional 180 business aviation flights a night. Bastos says that the limitations are a security response to the “nightmare scenario” of an airplane being crashed into a stadium, but that aviation authorities are working toward overseas security inspections, which would allow expanded arrival hours without letting unknown aircraft into Olympic airspace.
Working within the security curfew, Bastos promised, “We’ll do everything possible to make people comfortable, with customs clearance and passport control available, and we’re negotiating with local authorities for a dedicated facility for business aviation passengers. There will be a small VIP lounge in Terminal 1.” He added that the nighttime arrival window would let arriving VIPs avoid Rio’s notorious traffic, which can transform the 20-minute trip from the airport to downtown into a two-hour ordeal. For the few World Cup games held in Rio, the city proclaimed holidays to eliminate commuter traffic, but that can’t be done for the whole duration of the Olympics.
Some of the most polished preparation for receiving Olympic private jets has been under way at the Lider Aviação FBO at Galeão. The hangar has space for four G550s and headroom for an E190, though the mix determines what will fit, as well as a large external ramp area. The FBO has two VIP lounges and three conference rooms, sufficient for 120 passengers simultaneously. An industrial kitchen will cook for the FBO and for visiting jets, and a laundry room will also serve both the FBO and visiting aircraft. Lider has not only a backup generator but also a backup for the backup, and in another sign of prudence, dual water tanks, one for fire emergencies. Hangarage and operations are fully insured, something that can’t be taken for granted in Brazil. While Brazilian FBOs cannot by law sell fuel, Shell, BR and AirBP will fuel aircraft at the FBO.
Crew facilities are on another floor of the FBO, as are sparkling lounge and three crew rooms with private baths. “They are all clients, crew and passengers. The passenger is the star, but it’s the crew that picks the ground handling,” said Lider manager Radamés Fidelis, noting that for lodging crew in the tight Rio hotel market, “We’ve sent them to Itapava and [across the bay] to Niteroi, but Lider is always concerned with crew safety. It may be far, but in Itapava it’s a five-star resort with a helipad and swimming pool.”
Lider expects more aircraft but fewer legs for the Olympics than for the World Cup, thanks to the concentration of the Games in Rio de Janeiro. Regional manager Luiz Fernando Fernandes told AIN that he is bringing in personnel from Lider’s other bases around the country to provide support in Rio during the Olympics.
Options Outside Rio
More aircraft will bring passengers to Rio de Janeiro than can park there. The 180 slots per night for business aviation at Santos Dumont far exceed the ramp space and can be used only by aircraft that have cleared customs elsewhere. Embraer points to its FBO completed two years ago at Sorocaba Airport near São Paulo, and a spokesman for their neighbor WWA (World Way Aviation) agrees, “I can reaffirm that Sorocaba is the best option for operators that seek flexibility [24-hour operation, no slots, no commercial aviation], tranquility [Embraer, Dassault, Gulfstream and Pratt & Whitney MRO facilities] and principally, the comfort and convenience of Brazil’s most modern hangars [CBair, Embraer FBO and WWA].”
WWA opened in February, with a hangar that can hold “twelve G650s or eight Lineage 1000s or 20 Legacy 650s or 20 Falcon 7Xs, without mentioning the ramp space.” WWA also has imported Tronair and Aero Specialties GSE handling equipment, and has a handling team with “vast experience and a safety doctrine.” WWA is making arrangements with hotels, bulletproof vehicle rentals and private transfers for foreign crew and passengers.
Cabo Frio
Aeroporto Internacional de Cabo Frio (AICF) has been privately operated since 2001 and is the country’s fifth cargo airport. For the Olympics, Kleber Meira, director-general of Libra Aeroportos, assured that coordination with the Center for Air Navigation Management (CGNA) and other ATC bodies ensures that there will be no interference with the airport’s existing operations. Additional teams will guarantee operational safety and speed passenger clearance and customs. During the Games, the airport will also add personnel and expand the declared ramp capacity in an “open-air hangar” arrangement by renting areas to park aircraft safely. Operations should proceed normally, and are available 24 hours “on request.”
“The restrictions imposed on the airport in the City of Rio de Janeiro to guarantee the safety of the Olympics and Paralympics make AICF, with its strategic location and an excellent privatized highway network linking the cities, the best airport option for general and business aviation,” Meira continued. Besides having immigration, customs and quarantine services available, and all equipment needed for aircraft handling, AICF is arranging partnerships with local air taxi firms for helicopter air shuttle service and sedan service between Cabo Frio and Rio de Janeiro.
Breakthrough in CIQ for GA?
Brazilian law has no provision for special customs, immigration and quarantine treatment for business aviation, and although there is occasional special treatment for sports or entertainment figures whose presence would cause a tumult in the main terminal, as a rule private jet passengers take a van to the passenger terminal to stand in line with airline travelers. However, RioGaleão’s Bastos notes that post-closing ceremony, as teams depart on charter flights, the same arrangements should be made as in prior Olympics, with remote baggage check and check-in for athletes at the Olympic Village. “Athletes will get their boarding passes, and arriving at the airport they will just have to go through the X-ray.” Certainly that opens a precedent for special treatment. The new Lider FBO was already built with a Federal Police immigration area with space reserved alongside for customs, although their actual use is still under negotiation. The Games might leave international business jet travelers to Brazil with that welcome precedent established in law and practice.
Make Plans Now
Brazilian airports, including Rio de Janeiro’s international airport, Galeão, will have capacity for business jets visiting for the Olympics to land, although only at inconvenient hours, though that may change. The capacity for operations exceeds the ramp capacity in Rio. Brazil’s business aviation companies have added infrastructure for the Games, and are reinforcing their capacity in Rio by mobilizing resources from around the country. They’re unanimous, though, in recommending early planning for ground needs. TAM AE’s director of aviation services, Heron Nobre, said the firm “recommends that all clients coordinate the entire operation (hotel reservations, ground transport and other services) ahead of time. Our coordination team is ready to meet these requests.” The supply of hotel rooms is tight in Rio at any time, not only at the top end but also for aircrew. Of hotel reservations, Lider’s Fidelis said, “Up to now, yes, but I’m not sure until when[…]We get a lot of solicitations, but those who leave it until the last minute and then want the Copacabana Palace, it won’t be possible.”
Safety a Concern for Olympics Visitors
This summer’s Olympic Games are expected to draw tens of thousands of foreign spectators to Brazil, yet without proper precautions many of them may find themselves the victim of crime.
As it did two years ago for the FIFA World Cup, the government of Brazil will bolster the police and military presence around the venues and other heavily visited areas, but that should not lull tourists into a sense of security. “Pickpocketing is everywhere in Brazil,” noted Fred Lima, chief operations officer in Brazil for security provider FAM International. “You are not safe at all,” he told AIN, warning visitors to be especially aware of packs of children ages 12 and up. Because youths under 18 cannot be sent to jail under Brazilian law, such gangs tend to roam the streets with impunity. He advises attendees to avoid attracting their attention by wearing jewelry, expensive watches and designer clothing. When walking, stay away from the curb, where someone on a motorcycle can grab items and speed off.
Since cellphone snatching is also on the rise in Brazil’s cities, Lima suggests keeping them out of sight while on the streets. If you must place or receive a call, head into a store or restaurant.
Another threat, though less common, is abduction. “What we have in Brazil is called lightning kidnapping,” said Lima. “They get the person, put them inside a car, go around to the ATMs just trying to get more money and then they release the guy after they have all the money they can get from the cards.”
Lima warns tourists to avoid taxis and to arrange for ground transportation in advance from a reputable company. For those who can afford it, he suggests hiring executive protection, but at the very least he advises getting a private car and driver for transport. “If you rent a car there with an English-speaking driver, you will pay about $400 a day; an armored sedan with an English-speaking driver will be $650,” Lima noted, adding that such a vehicle can be arranged through FAM or other executive transportation providers. The armored glass will help thwart the frequent “smash and grab” robbery, where thieves prey on cars stopped at traffic lights.
Lima cautioned that cities such as Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo are dotted with slums (favelas) controlled by local criminal cartels that occasionally settle their turf disputes with gunfire. Several are located along the expressway leading from the international airport and cars have been struck by stray bullets in the past. Lastly, if renting a car, Lima advises not to choose an ostentatious model such as a Mercedes or BMW, as such automobiles are not common in Brazil and will clearly mark the driver as affluent.