São Paulo Campinas Viracopos International Airport has roared into 2026 on a high note, reporting a double digit jump in international traffic and setting a new all time record for January passenger volumes. The performance caps a historic year of growth in 2025 and confirms Viracopos as one of Brazil’s most dynamic gateways for both leisure and business travelers, as well as a rising contender among South America’s connecting hubs.
Record Breaking January Cements Viracopos Momentum
Viracopos started 2026 with its strongest January in history, handling around 1.16 million passengers and edging up 4 percent compared with January 2025, according to figures released this month by the airport’s management. The headline number was not only a new January record but also another sign that the airport’s post pandemic recovery has firmly shifted into an expansion phase.
Behind the aggregate growth lies a particularly striking surge on international routes. International passenger traffic in January grew 12 percent year on year, easily outpacing the overall expansion and reinforcing the role of long haul and regional connectivity in Viracopos’s strategy. That performance follows a full year 2025 in which international volumes climbed to more than 1.1 million travelers, an increase of roughly 29 percent compared with 2024.
The strong start to the year comes on top of a historic 2025 for the airport. Depending on the data source, Viracopos reported between 12.8 million and 13.1 million passengers for the year, both figures representing new records and positioning the airport at the upper end of Brazil’s mid sized hubs. In either case, 2025 marked the second consecutive year in which the airport handled more than 12 million travelers.
These numbers underscore a transformation that has been underway for more than a decade. When Brazil auctioned Viracopos to private operator Aeroportos Brasil Viracopos in the early 2010s, annual passenger volumes stood at just under 8 million. Today, the airport is processing close to 13 million travelers a year and leveraging its location in one of Brazil’s most economically vibrant regions to support new routes and frequencies.
International Surge Driven by New Long Haul Connections
The double digit jump in international traffic in January is the latest chapter in a broader story that unfolded throughout 2025. Viracopos surpassed the 1 million international passenger mark for the second time in its history last year, closing 2025 with about 1.11 million international travelers. That represented growth of nearly 30 percent versus 2024 and even eclipsed the previous high reached in 2023.
Much of that expansion can be traced to a wave of new long haul services that came online in mid 2025. Azul Linhas Aéreas, the airport’s main carrier and hub operator, launched nonstop flights from Viracopos to Madrid and Porto in June, adding two popular European gateways to an already solid portfolio of international destinations. These new links complemented existing routes to Fort Lauderdale and Orlando in the United States, Lisbon in Portugal, and seasonal operations to Bariloche and Mendoza in Argentina.
By early 2026, the international network ex Viracopos included direct services to Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Lisbon, Madrid and Porto, supported by the seasonal South American routes. While all flights are currently operated by Azul, airport executives are using the recent traffic performance as a key selling point in conversations with other airline partners. The goal is to diversify carriers and add more destinations across the Americas, Europe, and eventually Africa and Asia.
International travelers have responded to the expanded menu of routes and frequencies. The combination of nonstop services to major tourism and business centers, competitive fares, and the ease of connecting through a smaller hub has resonated with passengers from across the São Paulo metropolitan region and Brazil’s interior. With European tourism to Brazil gaining strength and outbound Brazilian travel recovering as well, the airport expects the international segment to remain its fastest growing line of business in 2026.
Strategic Gateway for São Paulo’s Interior and Beyond
Viracopos’ success is tightly linked to its geographical position. Located in Campinas, roughly 100 kilometers from central São Paulo, the airport sits at the heart of a densely populated and industrially developed region that stretches across the state’s interior. This catchment area encompasses millions of residents, numerous high tech parks, agricultural exporters, logistics centers, and corporate headquarters.
For many travelers and companies in Campinas, the surrounding municipalities, and even parts of neighboring states, Viracopos offers a compelling alternative to the congested São Paulo metropolitan airports. Road links and coach services connect the region to the terminal, which has invested heavily over the past decade in modern facilities, expanded check in and security areas, and an improved passenger experience.
That combination of location and infrastructure has allowed the airport to grow both its point to point traffic and its role as a connecting hub. Azul uses Viracopos as one of its primary bases, feeding domestic passengers from across Brazil into international flights and vice versa. This hub and spoke model has been a major factor behind the airport’s ability to sustain high load factors on long haul routes that might otherwise be difficult to support purely with local demand.
As Brazil’s broader aviation market returns to growth, and with the federal government reporting record passenger volumes nationwide in 2025, Viracopos is poised to capture a growing share of both domestic and international flows. Its performance is increasingly seen as a barometer of economic vitality in the interior of São Paulo, an area that includes key agribusiness, manufacturing, and technology clusters.
Competitive Edge Among Brazil’s Fastest Growing Hubs
While São Paulo’s Guarulhos airport remains the country’s largest international gateway by a wide margin, Viracopos has carved out a distinct niche as one of Brazil’s fastest expanding mid sized hubs. Recent government data ranked Campinas among the top airports for passenger movements, reflecting both its domestic and international traffic.
The airport’s management highlights several competitive advantages in its pitch to airlines. These include shorter turnaround times compared with larger congested airports, a flexible slot environment, and a comprehensive incentive program for new routes and additional frequencies. For carriers looking to test new markets in Brazil or deploy widebody capacity into secondary cities, Viracopos offers an attractive platform.
The robust growth in cargo also plays into the airport’s narrative. Although the latest traffic headlines center on passengers, Viracopos has long been a major cargo hub, benefiting from its proximity to industrial zones and logistics operators. Airlines can combine freight and passenger revenue on widebody flights, strengthening the business case for additional long haul services and helping to smooth seasonal fluctuations.
Industry analysts note that Viracopos’ passenger figures are beginning to approach and in some years surpass those of other major Brazilian hubs such as Confins and Galeão, particularly when focusing on punctuality and connectivity metrics. Previous rankings have placed the airport among the most on time mid sized facilities worldwide, adding another selling point for time sensitive business travelers and airlines.
Route Development Push Targets New Continents
The latest traffic milestone arrives as Viracopos ramps up its route development efforts. Airport representatives will attend the Routes Americas 2026 conference in Rio de Janeiro, a key industry gathering where airports and tourism boards pitch opportunities to airlines. Viracopos plans to showcase its new January records, its surging international segment, and its long term growth forecasts as it courts new partners.
Executives are expected to focus on expanding the Americas and European networks, while planting the seeds for future links to Africa and the Middle East. Given the strong demand for flights between Brazil and Europe, particularly Portugal and Spain, additional frequencies or new destinations on the continent are seen as the most immediate prospects. Connections to major North American hubs beyond Florida are another medium term objective.
Local tourism bodies and economic development agencies are backing the effort, viewing expanded connectivity as a tool to attract foreign investment, conferences, and inbound leisure travelers to São Paulo’s interior. The airport’s growing role as an arrival point for international visitors was already evident in federal statistics for January 2025, when Campinas ranked among Brazil’s leading airports for foreign passenger arrivals.
Any new routes that materialize from these negotiations would build on the momentum generated by the Madrid and Porto launches and the strong performance of existing international services. With aircraft manufacturers delivering more fuel efficient models and airlines looking to tap into secondary Brazilian markets, industry observers believe Viracopos is well positioned to capture incremental capacity.
Passenger Experience and Infrastructure Under the Spotlight
Sustaining double digit growth in international traffic places new demands on airport infrastructure and passenger services. Viracopos’ concessionaire has signaled that it wants to stay ahead of the curve, exploring ways to optimize terminal flows and expand capacity where needed. Check in, security, immigration, and baggage handling are all under review as the airport calibrates its operations to higher volumes.
In recent years, investments have focused on expanding the passenger terminal, improving boarding areas, and enhancing retail and food options. The international departure zone has seen particular upgrades to accommodate new long haul flights and to improve dwell times for connecting travelers. Airlines operating from Viracopos have also deployed newer aircraft on key routes, boosting onboard comfort and efficiency.
Operational performance remains a crucial selling point. After gaining recognition in global punctuality rankings, Viracopos is keen to maintain on time performance despite busier schedules. This is especially important for international passengers connecting onto domestic flights with tight transfer windows. Airport managers stress proactive coordination with airlines, ground handlers, and public authorities as central to maintaining reliability.
With larger flows of foreign visitors, service quality and wayfinding in multiple languages are also in the spotlight. From check in counters to immigration and customs, the airport is working to ensure that first impressions of Brazil are positive. Improvements in digital information channels and public transport links between the terminal and regional cities are part of that push.
Economic Ripple Effects for Campinas and São Paulo State
The record January figures at Viracopos are more than an aviation milestone; they are a signal of broader economic activity in the Campinas region and São Paulo state. Every new international flight feeds a web of benefits that range from increased hotel occupancy and restaurant spending to expanded opportunities for exporters and technology firms seeking global partners.
Local business leaders point to the airport’s expanding connectivity as a key asset in attracting multinational companies to set up operations in Campinas and nearby cities. Access to direct flights to Europe and North America reduces travel time for executives and technicians, while domestic links allow firms to move staff quickly between Brazil’s main commercial centers.
Tourism bodies, for their part, see the growth in international arrivals as an opportunity to promote regional attractions beyond the well known coastal and metropolitan destinations. From wine routes and rural tourism to events and educational exchanges, improved air access is central to bringing international visitors inland and encouraging them to extend their stays.
The surge in traffic also carries implications for employment. Airlines, handling agents, security providers, retailers, and hospitality businesses all require additional staff as passenger numbers rise. Training programs and partnerships with local educational institutions aim to ensure that the region can supply the skilled workforce needed to support the airport’s next phase of growth.
Brazil’s Aviation Boom Sets the Stage for Further Growth
Viracopos’ performance fits into a broader narrative of resurgence in Brazilian air travel. Government data for 2025 show record passenger volumes across the country’s airports, with both domestic and international segments expanding at robust rates. Between January and May 2025 alone, Brazil’s airports handled more than 51 million passengers, the highest figure for the period in the historical series.
This national upswing creates fertile ground for airports like Viracopos that have the capacity and strategy to capture incremental demand. As airlines rebuild networks, they are reassessing which hubs offer the best mix of cost, connectivity, and market potential. The Campinas gateway’s ability to post a 12 percent jump in international traffic in January, on top of a record year, sends a clear signal that it belongs on that shortlist.
Looking ahead, the challenge for Viracopos will be to balance rapid growth with operational excellence and sustainable development. Environmental considerations, noise management, and community engagement will all shape how far and how fast the airport can expand its route map. For now, the numbers suggest that São Paulo’s interior gateway has firmly arrived on the global stage and is set to play an even bigger role in Brazil’s aviation story.
For travelers, the message is straightforward. As international options from Campinas multiply and the airport’s global profile rises, Viracopos is emerging as a powerful new gateway to Brazil and to the world, offering an alternative to the traditional mega hubs and underscoring São Paulo’s status as a true crossroads of the Americas.