After four years of delays and multiple missed launch dates, the 2.7-kilometre Aeromóvel people-mover that links CPTM’s Line 13-Jade station to all three passenger terminals at São Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport (GRU) carried its first paying travellers on the evening of 21 February 2026. Operated by concessionaire GRU Airport, the automated train is running in an “experimental passenger phase” from 17:30 to midnight daily, the airport told local media.
![Guarulhos Aeromóvel Finally Opens to Passengers—But Only After-Hours]()
For international passengers eager to ride the new rail link, having the right travel documents in hand is just as important as catching the train on time. VisaHQ’s online platform (https://www.visahq.com/brazil/) streamlines the Brazilian visa application process for both leisure and corporate travellers, providing up-to-date guidance on entry requirements, digital submissions and courier services that eliminate time-consuming consulate visits.
Until now the shuttle had been restricted to airport employees while engineers completed signalling integration and evacuation drills. Each of the two-car trainsets can move 200 passengers and their luggage; GRU expects to double frequency and expand to a full 04:00–00:00 schedule once reliability stabilises. The launch matters for Brazil’s corporate-travel market. GRU handles more than 40 percent of the country’s international traffic, and mobility managers have long complained that the lack of a seamless rail link forces assignees and business visitors onto congested highways or expensive taxis. Six-minute transfers between rail and terminal could shave 20-30 minutes off door-to-door journey times for commuters staying in São Paulo’s northern business districts. Even in test mode, the people-mover is expected to absorb roughly 500 passengers a night, easing demand on the free inter-terminal buses and providing an early stress-test ahead of the 2026 World Cup travel spike. GRU Airport says lessons learned in the first weeks will inform emergency-response protocols and staffing models before the system transitions to 24-hour operation later this year. For mobility teams the advice is clear: build a buffer into tight flight connections until operating hours expand and reliability data improve; but start updating traveller handbooks now, because once fully open the Aeromóvel will become the default—and fastest—way to reach check-in, lounges and ground transport hubs at Latin America’s busiest airport.
For international passengers eager to ride the new rail link, having the right travel documents in hand is just as important as catching the train on time. VisaHQ’s online platform (https://www.visahq.com/brazil/) streamlines the Brazilian visa application process for both leisure and corporate travellers, providing up-to-date guidance on entry requirements, digital submissions and courier services that eliminate time-consuming consulate visits.
Until now the shuttle had been restricted to airport employees while engineers completed signalling integration and evacuation drills. Each of the two-car trainsets can move 200 passengers and their luggage; GRU expects to double frequency and expand to a full 04:00–00:00 schedule once reliability stabilises. The launch matters for Brazil’s corporate-travel market. GRU handles more than 40 percent of the country’s international traffic, and mobility managers have long complained that the lack of a seamless rail link forces assignees and business visitors onto congested highways or expensive taxis. Six-minute transfers between rail and terminal could shave 20-30 minutes off door-to-door journey times for commuters staying in São Paulo’s northern business districts. Even in test mode, the people-mover is expected to absorb roughly 500 passengers a night, easing demand on the free inter-terminal buses and providing an early stress-test ahead of the 2026 World Cup travel spike. GRU Airport says lessons learned in the first weeks will inform emergency-response protocols and staffing models before the system transitions to 24-hour operation later this year. For mobility teams the advice is clear: build a buffer into tight flight connections until operating hours expand and reliability data improve; but start updating traveller handbooks now, because once fully open the Aeromóvel will become the default—and fastest—way to reach check-in, lounges and ground transport hubs at Latin America’s busiest airport.
