The Ministry of Ports & Airports (MPor) has unveiled a R$ 310.1 million (US $62 million) investment package for 15 regional airports in Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo over the 2026-27 budget cycle. According to the programme details released on 29 January, the money will fund runway resurfacing, new passenger terminals, precision-approach aids and automated weather stations (AWOS) at high-traffic feeder hubs such as Campos dos Goytacazes (RJ), Franca (SP) and Montes Claros (MG).
The modernisation drive is part of Brasil Mais Aeroportos, a federal plan that aims to raise regional-airfield standards to International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) level III by 2030. Civil Aviation Secretary Tomás Albuquerque said the focus is “safety first, capacity second”. Lengthened runways and certified AWOS systems will allow regional jets like the Embraer E-2 series to operate under low-visibility IFR, reducing weather-related cancellations that currently plague business travellers connecting through São Paulo or Belo Horizonte.
For corporate mobility teams the upgrade is more than an infrastructure story. Dozens of multinational firms maintain plants in interior cities that depend on unpredictable turboprop flights or long road journeys. “An extra daily jet frequency out of Franca can shave a full travel day off a São Paulo–Miami rotation,” notes Camila Ferraz, travel manager at a U.S. automotive supplier. Better reliability also lowers the cost of expatriate assignments by shrinking hardship premiums tied to medical-evacuation risk.
![Brazil earmarks R$ 310 million to modernize regional airports in the Southeast]()
International executives heading to these newly connected hubs will also need to keep their paperwork in order: VisaHQ’s digital visa service (https://www.visahq.com/brazil/) can secure Brazilian business visas, e-visas and crew permits in a single online session, offering real-time status updates and dedicated support so travelers spend less time on consular formalities and more time on the tarmac.
MPor will contribute 70 % of the funding; state governments must provide matching capital and oversee tender processes. Projects will adopt “PMI-light” contracting to accelerate ground-breaking within six months. The ministry has pledged to keep every site operational during works by using temporary modular terminals and night-time runway closures—a lesson learned from the 2024 overhaul of Recife International.
Once delivered, the Southeast upgrades are expected to add 2.5 million seats per year to Brazil’s regional network and feed traffic into São Paulo’s planned third airport at Caieiras. The announcement comes as ANAC finalises new slot-allocation rules designed to reserve up to 15 % of Congonhas and Santos Dumont movements for regional connections, ensuring the infrastructure spend translates into actual flight rights.
The modernisation drive is part of Brasil Mais Aeroportos, a federal plan that aims to raise regional-airfield standards to International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) level III by 2030. Civil Aviation Secretary Tomás Albuquerque said the focus is “safety first, capacity second”. Lengthened runways and certified AWOS systems will allow regional jets like the Embraer E-2 series to operate under low-visibility IFR, reducing weather-related cancellations that currently plague business travellers connecting through São Paulo or Belo Horizonte.
For corporate mobility teams the upgrade is more than an infrastructure story. Dozens of multinational firms maintain plants in interior cities that depend on unpredictable turboprop flights or long road journeys. “An extra daily jet frequency out of Franca can shave a full travel day off a São Paulo–Miami rotation,” notes Camila Ferraz, travel manager at a U.S. automotive supplier. Better reliability also lowers the cost of expatriate assignments by shrinking hardship premiums tied to medical-evacuation risk.
International executives heading to these newly connected hubs will also need to keep their paperwork in order: VisaHQ’s digital visa service (https://www.visahq.com/brazil/) can secure Brazilian business visas, e-visas and crew permits in a single online session, offering real-time status updates and dedicated support so travelers spend less time on consular formalities and more time on the tarmac.
MPor will contribute 70 % of the funding; state governments must provide matching capital and oversee tender processes. Projects will adopt “PMI-light” contracting to accelerate ground-breaking within six months. The ministry has pledged to keep every site operational during works by using temporary modular terminals and night-time runway closures—a lesson learned from the 2024 overhaul of Recife International.
Once delivered, the Southeast upgrades are expected to add 2.5 million seats per year to Brazil’s regional network and feed traffic into São Paulo’s planned third airport at Caieiras. The announcement comes as ANAC finalises new slot-allocation rules designed to reserve up to 15 % of Congonhas and Santos Dumont movements for regional connections, ensuring the infrastructure spend translates into actual flight rights.
