Flying to Brazil

General Information

With 500 public airports and airfields, Brazil is one of the best-equipped countries in the world, with many of them handling significant traffic. Around fifty handle over 250,000 passengers annually, forty exceed 500,000, and about thirty are "million-plus" hubs. Among these, a dozen handle over 5 million passengers yearly, and five exceed 10 million.

São Paulo’s two airports—three if you include nearby Campinas—lead the way with around 65 million passengers combined. They outpace Rio’s two airports (16 million total), Brasília (14 million), Belo Horizonte (10 million), and Recife (9 million). While domestic traffic dominates, most of these major hubs also offer extensive international routes, including flights to Europe, particularly via TAP Portugal from Lisbon. In short, the country is easily accessible.

Local Airlines

Brazil has around a dozen significant scheduled airlines, plus a few niche or charter operators. Three dominate the market: first is LATAM Brasil, formed from the merger of Chilean LAN and Brazilian TAM. It offers the largest network of international connections from Brazil, based in São Paulo. The other two are GOL, which operates both domestic and international flights, including long-haul, and Azul, known for its domestic routes and some international services.

From France and Europe

France has strong direct links to Brazil via Air France and LATAM, serving Rio, Salvador, São Paulo, and Fortaleza (via Cayenne), with flight times of 11 to 12 hours. The only downside: fares typically range from 1,000 to 1,200 €, while the cheapest connecting flights—including from regional airports—often start around 700 €.

For better value, Iberia (via Madrid) and TAP Air Portugal (via Lisbon) usually offer the best deals, with only slightly longer travel times. This is especially useful if you want to mix flights within Brazil or choose your entry point, as TAP’s extensive network includes 15 Brazilian cities with direct connections from Portugal.

From the Rest of the Continent and Beyond

Logically, Brazil—primarily from São Paulo and, to a lesser extent, Rio—has a solid selection of flights to other South American countries, as well as Central America and the Caribbean. North America, including the U.S. and Canada, is also well-connected year-round or seasonally.

For other destinations, São Paulo’s airport is the main hub, with direct flights from various airlines to China, Turkey, Dubai, South Africa, Ethiopia, and even Morocco via RAM’s Casablanca route.

Additional Information