João Simões Lopes Neto International Airport - PET
While the official name of the airport is João Simões Lopes Neto International Airport, most people refer to it as the Pelotas International Airport. It is a regional public airport that serves the city of Pelotas, Brazil, located 5 miles west of the city center. Brazilian carrier Azul Brazilian Airlines operates in the airport with flights to Porto Alegre, Brazil. The grounds are also used by the Brazilian Air Force. The airport is operated by Infraero, which is a Brazilian government corporation.
Best Time to Visit
Pelotas International Airport has an asphalt runway measuring 6,496 feet in length and a second runway measuring 4,035 feet in length with a rolled earth surface. In 2018, the airport served 33,893 passengers, which is a 14.8% increase from the previous year. Pelotas was the site of the first official commercial passenger flight by Varig, the first airline in Brazil, in 1927. However, the Pelotas Airport didn’t get officially inaugurated until 1935.It is named after Brazilian regionalist writer João Simões Lopes Neto who hailed from the city of Pelotas. Aside from Pelotas, some of the nearby cities include Cassino and Rio Grande.
What to Do & Area Attractions
Travelers visiting the city in the state of Rio Grande do Sul can stay at one of the Pelotas hotels located near the airport for convenience. Both Hotel Manta and the Hotel Jacques Georges Tower are within a 10-minute drive from the João Simões Lopes Neto International Airport.
The closest airport to Pelotas International Airport is domestic airport Rio Grande Regional Airport in Rio Grande, Brazil.