FSoares has recently announced the development of Rio de Janeiro/Galeão International Airport (SBGL) for Microsoft Flight Simulator, the main airport serving Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with a yearly average of 7.9 million passengers.

‍

It was opened in 1952 on top of a pre-existing Brazilian Air Force base that ended up being utilized by international long-haulers, which were too heavy and too large for SBRJ’s (Rio’s domestic airport) 1300m runway. With the ever-increasing international demand, they finally built a passenger terminal, which was progressively expanded until 1977.

‍

A new terminal building was opened that year, with all the scheduled passenger traffic transferred there. It’s still in use today as Terminal 1.

‍

Terminal 1 was first renovated in 1991 in preparation for the United Nations Earth Summit (held in 1992), with its annual capacity increased to 7.5 million passengers. Eight years later, Terminal 2 was opened, with 24 jetways and also being able to handle up to 7.5 million passengers yearly.

‍

With the imminence of the World Cup and the Olympic Games, in 2014 and 2016, respectively, Infraero (the airport’s former manager) unveiled a $431 million upgrade and expansion plan for Galeão, including the renovation of Terminal 1, the completion of Terminal 2, and expanding the parking lots. The new concessionary later revised the plans and decided to include a new pier with 26 jetways, a new apron for 97 aircraft, and 2640 car parking spaces. The $400 million sum quickly jumped to $800 million instead.

‍

Aerolíneas Argentinas, Air France, American Airlines, Avianca, Azul, British Airways, Copa Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Emirates, Flybondi, Gol, Iberia, ITA Airways, JetSmart Argentina, JetSmart Chile, KLM, Latam Brasil, Latam Chile, Latam Peru, Lufthansa, Paranair, Sky Airlines, TAP, United Airlines, and Voepass serve it.

‍

There’s no information on features, pricing, or release date yet, but Threshold will keep you informed!

‍