Manaus International Airport replaced Ponta Pelada Airport as the main public airport of Manaus in 1976. Ponta Pelada was then renamed Manaus Air Force Base and began handling exclusively military operations. The construction of the airport began in 1972 and it was commissioned on March 31, 1976 by a domestic flightoperated by a Boeing 727-100 of Serviços Aéreos Cruzeiro do Sul. At the time it was the most modern airport in Brazil and the first one to operate with jet bridges. Though originally planned to be named Supersonic Airport of Manaus, its official name was changed to Eduardo Gomes by the law 5.967 of 11 December 1973. The airport has two passenger terminal buildings. Passenger Terminal 1 handles all domestic and international flights and Passenger Terminal 2, opened on March 12, 1985, handles general aviation. Furthermore, the airport has three cargo terminals, opened in 1976, 1980 and 2004. They have a total area of and can process up to 12,000 t/month of cargo. Cargo Terminals 1 and 2 handle goods for export and Cargo Terminal 3 for import. On 31 August 2009, Infraero unveiled a BRL793.5 million investment plan to upgrade Eduardo Gomes International Airport focusing on the preparations for the 2014 FIFA World Cup which were held in Brazil, Manaus being one of the venue cities. The investment comprised enlargement of apron and existing runway and enlargement and renovation of the passenger terminal. In terms of cargo handled, Manaus is the third-busiest in Brazil, behind São Paulo-Guarulhos and Campinas. The BrazilianIntegrated Air Traffic Control and Air Defense Center section 4 is located in the vicinity of the airport.
Airlines and destinations
Passenger
a. Air taxi company and airline operating regular charter flights.
Cargo
Accidents and incidents
21 April 1983: three Libyan Air Force Il-76TDs landed at Manaus after one of the Il-76s developed some technical problems while crossing the Atlantic Ocean. The aircraft were then searched by the Brazilian authorities: instead of medical supplies – as quoted in the transport documentation—the crate of the first of 17 Aero L-39 Albatros light training and attack aircraft bound for Nicaragua together with arms and parachutes, to support the country's war against U.S.-backed Contras were found. The cargo was impounded, while the transports were permitted to return to Libya.
15 December 1994: a TABA Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante en route from Carauari and Tefé to Manaus was hijacked by two Colombian citizens. The passengers were released in the proximity of Tabatinga and the aircraft was flown to Colombia. The crew was released at the Brazilian Embassy in Bogotá.
