68 AIRLINER WORLD JUNE 2018
more crowded until finally in 1977, the
new semi-circular Terminal 1 opened
for business.
Compared with its predecessor it was
huge, however its architecture left a lot
to be desired. Locals describe it as a
fine example of what they call ‘Brazilian
Brutalism’ – a style of construction
often found in government buildings
that uses lots of concrete and is seldom
attractive.
By the second half of the 20th
century, Rio de Janeiro had become
one of the favourite destinations of the
international jet-set and until the 1980s,
Galeão continued to be the main gate-
way to Brazil – and to the entire South
American subcontinent. Airlines from
North America and Europe flew their
Lockheed L1049 Super Constellations,
Douglas DC-6s and later their early
jetliners to Rio, often with multiple
stops en route.
Even Concorde became a regular visitor
in the late 1970s and early 1980s, with
Air France operating flights from Paris
via a technical stop in Dakar, Senegal in
West Africa.Infrastructure Growth
Terminal 1 underwent its first
significant renovation in the early
19 90s and reopened in time for one
of the globe’s largest conferences, the
United Nations Rio Earth Summit, in- At the same time, with further
rapid growth anticipated, construction
started on Terminal 2, a building of
almost identical size and shape. When
it was inaugurated in 1999, the two
terminals combined brought capacity
up to 15 million passengers per year.
This was significantly higher than the
ABOVE LEFT • The airport
is at its busiest in the
early evening when most
of the intercontinental
flights depart.The main check-in area of
Terminal 2 during a quiet
period. However, it can
get very crowded during
peak hours.