The new Recife/Guararapes ¿ Gilberto Freyre International Airport has been open since July 2004 and has 52 thousand square meters of area.

The largest airport in the North and Northeast regions, Guararapes had its capacity expanded from 1.5 million to 5 million passengers a year. Now there are 64 check-in counters, versus the former terminal¿s 24.

The shopping and leisure area was also totally remodeled, within the ¿Aeroshopping¿ concept, which transforms an airport into a center for business, comfort and high-quality products and services. The commercial spaces will be occupied in steps and the final total will be 142 shops.

The parking structure has been ready since December 2002. There are three levels with total capacity for 2080 vehicles, over four times the previous 500 spots. There is space for events and exhibitions on the fourth level.

The new Guararapes Airport has also become a showplace for Pernambuco¿s art. Francisco Brennand has provided the terminal with a mural and three statues. João Câmara, José Cláudio, Gil Vicente and Pedro Frederico show their paintings. Abelardo da Hora exhibits a statue of noted sociologist Gilberto Freyre, the airport¿s namesake.

Since 2000, Recife has had the longest runway in the Northeast, at 3,305 meters. Its extension permits operations with jumbo jets, such as the Boeing 747-400, which can carry 290 passengers and 62 tons of cargo, with endurance to fly nonstop to anywhere in South and Central America, Africa and parts of Europe, the United States and Canada.

The apron area was also expanded and the number of aircraft parking boxes increased from 14 to 26. There is a pipeline running underneath carrying kerosene to fuel the airplanes, the safest way to do this because it does away with the need for tank trucks in the maneuvering area.