With just eight days to go before Belém hosts the United Nations COP30 summit, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva cut the ribbon on the Amazon city’s vastly expanded Val-de-Cans/Júlio Cezar Ribeiro International Airport on 2 November 2025. The R $450 million (US$89 million) project—financed and executed by concessionaire Norte da Amazônia Airports (NOA)—adds 36,000 m² of floor space, six additional boarding bridges and upgraded navigation aids, lifting annual passenger capacity from 7.7 million to roughly 13 million.
The overhaul includes a new multi-sensorial quiet room for neuro-diverse passengers, Amazon-inspired retail areas and energy-efficient cooling systems designed for the region’s humid climate. Air-side, the runway received Category II approach lighting, while an enlarged apron can now handle wide-body aircraft such as the Boeing 787—vital for the estimated 50,000 delegates, CEOs and heads-of-state who will arrive for COP30 between 10 and 21 November.
![Belém International Airport doubles capacity as Lula opens COP30-ready terminal]()
For mobility and relocation managers the upgrade is more than cosmetic. Airlines have loaded 140 extra charter and scheduled flights into global reservation systems for the summit period, and Brazil’s immigration service has installed 20 additional e-gates that process biometric passports in under 30 seconds. The government has also authorised temporary cabotage rights that allow foreign carriers to operate domestic Brazil legs if linked to COP30 traffic—an unprecedented waiver expected to ease internal connectivity to Amazon hubs such as Manaus and Santarém.
Logistics ripple-effect: The new capacity relieves pressure on airports in Brasília and São Paulo, which had braced for spill-over demand. Freight forwarders say the enlarged cargo area—complete with temperature-controlled storage—will accelerate “last-mile” delivery of climate-tech exhibition materials.
Looking beyond November, Belém’s chamber of commerce projects a 22 % annual increase in tourist arrivals through 2027, boosting the city’s bid to become a northern gateway for both business and eco-tourism. The airport’s public-private partnership includes a 30-year concession requiring NOA to keep service-quality indices above the national average, signalling a long-term commitment to passenger experience.
The overhaul includes a new multi-sensorial quiet room for neuro-diverse passengers, Amazon-inspired retail areas and energy-efficient cooling systems designed for the region’s humid climate. Air-side, the runway received Category II approach lighting, while an enlarged apron can now handle wide-body aircraft such as the Boeing 787—vital for the estimated 50,000 delegates, CEOs and heads-of-state who will arrive for COP30 between 10 and 21 November.
For mobility and relocation managers the upgrade is more than cosmetic. Airlines have loaded 140 extra charter and scheduled flights into global reservation systems for the summit period, and Brazil’s immigration service has installed 20 additional e-gates that process biometric passports in under 30 seconds. The government has also authorised temporary cabotage rights that allow foreign carriers to operate domestic Brazil legs if linked to COP30 traffic—an unprecedented waiver expected to ease internal connectivity to Amazon hubs such as Manaus and Santarém.
Logistics ripple-effect: The new capacity relieves pressure on airports in Brasília and São Paulo, which had braced for spill-over demand. Freight forwarders say the enlarged cargo area—complete with temperature-controlled storage—will accelerate “last-mile” delivery of climate-tech exhibition materials.
Looking beyond November, Belém’s chamber of commerce projects a 22 % annual increase in tourist arrivals through 2027, boosting the city’s bid to become a northern gateway for both business and eco-tourism. The airport’s public-private partnership includes a 30-year concession requiring NOA to keep service-quality indices above the national average, signalling a long-term commitment to passenger experience.
