# Hercílio Luz International Airport

Florianópolis–Hercílio Luz International Airport (IATA: FLN, ICAO: SBFL), branded Floripa Airport, is the airport serving Florianópolis, Brazil. It is named after Hercílio Pedro da Luz (1860–1924), three times governor of the state of Santa Catarina and senator.
It is operated by Zurich Airport Brasil.
Some of its facilities are shared with the Florianópolis Air Force Base of the Brazilian Air Force.

## History

The airport was built on the site of an old Air Naval Base, which operated until 1941, when its jurisdiction changed to the Brazilian Air Force.
Between 1927 and 1932, the then known as Campeche Field was also used by the French aviators of the Compagnie Générale Aéropostale for its operations in Florianópolis. Among them were Jean Mermoz, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and Henri Guillaumet.
Between 1942 and 1945, the runway 03/21, apron, control tower and passenger terminal were built. At the same time, some facilities of the Florianópolis Air Force Base were built and made operational.
In the period between 1952 and 1954, the passenger terminal was rebuilt and was operational until 1976 when a brand-new terminal building and apron were opened. The old facility is today the cargo terminal. The new terminal was further enlarged in 1988 and 2000, reaching the present 8,703 m$^2$.
In 1978, the runway 14/32 was opened allowing a great increase in traffic. In 1995, the airport was upgraded to international category and started receiving particularly seasonal and charter flights from Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
On March 16, 2017, Flughafen Zürich AG was granted the concession to operate and expand the airport, owning 100% of it.
On January 15, 2018, the new concessionaire began construction of a new terminal with 14 new gates - 3 international and 11 domestic. The cost of the project was BRL 570 million. The new terminal, located on the opposite side of the main runway from the old one, was officially opened on September 28, 2019. The main runway was also extended by 100 metres (330 ft), to 2,400 metres (7,900 ft). Operations using the new terminal started on October 1, 2019. In September 2024, TAP Air Portugal began nonstop service to Lisbon, giving Florianópolis its first flight to Europe.

## Airlines and destinations

The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter flights at Florianópolis Airport:
| Airlines | Destinations |
| Aerolíneas Argentinas | Seasonal: Buenos Aires–Aeroparque, Córdoba (AR), Rosario |
| Azul Brazilian Airlines | Belo Horizonte–Confins, Campinas, Chapecó, Curitiba, Foz do Iguaçu Seasonal: Asunción, Cuiabá, Goiânia, Montevideo, Pelotas, Recife, Santo Ângelo, Uruguaiana |
| Copa Airlines | Panama City–Tocumen |
| Flybondi | Buenos Aires–Aeroparque, Buenos Aires–Ezeiza |
| Gol Linhas Aéreas | Brasília, Buenos Aires–Aeroparque, Porto Alegre (begins 31 May 2025), Rio de Janeiro–Galeão, São Paulo–Congonhas, São Paulo–Guarulhos Seasonal: Buenos Aires–Ezeiza, Caxias do Sul, Córdoba (AR), Rosario, Salvador da Bahia |
| JetSmart Argentina | Buenos Aires–Ezeiza |
| JetSmart Chile | Santiago de Chile |
| LATAM Brasil | Brasília, Rio de Janeiro–Galeão, São Paulo–Congonhas, São Paulo–Guarulhos |
| LATAM Chile | Santiago de Chile |
| Paranair | Seasonal: Asunción |
| Sky Airline | Santiago de Chile Seasonal charter: Córdoba (AR), Mendoza |
| Sky Airline Peru | Lima, Montevideo |
| TAP Air Portugal | Lisbon |
| Voepass | Pelotas, Santa Maria, São Paulo–Congonhas |
Note: : Flights operated with Voepass equipment on behalf of LATAM Brasil.

### Cargo

| Airlines | Destinations |
| LATAM Cargo Brasil | Miami |
| Total Linhas Aéreas | Curitiba, São Paulo-Guarulhos |

## Statistics

Following is the number of passenger, aircraft and cargo movements at the airport, according to Infraero (2007-2017) and Zurich Airport (2018-2023) reports:
| Year | Passenger | Aircraft | Cargo (t) |
| 2024 | 4,906,929 24% | 48,746 11% | |
| 2023 | 3,969,940 17% | 44,108 8% | |
| 2022 | 3,403,031 44% | 40,936 29% | |
| 2021 | 2,358,800 26% | 31,715 25% | |
| 2020 | 1,869,890 52% | 25,360 41% | |
| 2019 | 3,918,230 2% | 42,623 2% | |
| 2018 | 3,839,348 | 43,615 3% | |
| 2017 | 3,843,328 9% | 44,795 1% | 5,021 23% |
| 2016 | 3,536,435 4% | 44,250 7% | 4,091 13% |
| 2015 | 3,693,486 2% | 47,347 7% | 4,682 14% |
| 2014 | 3,629,074 6% | 50,707 6% | 4,092 68% |
| 2013 | 3,872,877 14% | 54,216 3% | 2,430 69% |
| 2012 | 3,395,256 9% | 56,086 14% | 1,437 82% |
| 2011 | 3,122,035 17% | 49,097 13% | 7,894 15% |
| 2010 | 2,672,250 27% | 43,399 9% | 6,891 6% |
| 2009 | 2,108,383 1% | 39,790 1% | 7,294 13% |
| 2008 | 2,080,342 7% | 39,464 8% | 8,364 10% |
| 2007 | 1,948,010 | 36,451 | 9,341 |

## Accidents and incidents

* 22 March 1951: a Cruzeiro do Sul Douglas C-53D-DO plane, registration PP-CCX while landing at Florianópolis crashed following an overshoot in bad weather and an engine failure. Of the 14 passengers and crew, 3 died.
* 12 April 1980: a Transbrasil Boeing 727-27C operating flight 303 registration PT-TYS flying from São Paulo-Congonhas to Florianópolis while on a night instrumental approach to Florianópolis under a severe thunderstorm went off course, struck a hill and exploded. Probable causes are misjudgment of speed and distance, inadequate flight supervision, failure to initiate a go-around and improper operation of the engines. Of the 58 passengers and crew aboard, only 3 passengers survived.

## Access

The airport is located 14 km (9 mi) from downtown Florianópolis.