Mário de Almeida Franco - Uberaba Airport
Mário de Almeida Franco - Uberaba Airport
Uberaba – Mário de Almeida Franco Airport (UBA) has capacity for 1.3 million passengers per year and reveals great potential for growth. Known worldwide as the capital of zebu cattle, Uberaba, which is also the largest agricultural producer in the state, has a vocation for business tourism.
With the commitment to invest in improving the unit's infrastructure, Aena Brasil took over management of the airport on November 13, 2023, after winning a block of 11 Brazilian aviation equipment in an auction by the National Civil Aviation Agency (Anac), held in 2022.
As it already manages, since 2020, six terminals in the Northeast, Aena Brasil now operates a total of 17 airports in the country. The company is part of the Spanish company Aena, considered the largest airport operator in the world in terms of number of passengers.
An important gateway to the city, Uberaba – Mário de Almeida Franco Airport operates 24 hours a day for landings and takeoffs, has quick access routes, and is one of the best located airport terminals in Minas Gerais.
The airport's history begins with the inauguration of the first São Paulo – Uberaba route, with a stop in Ribeirão Preto, carried out by Vasp, in 1934, at the then Aviation Field. In the 1950s, the first passenger terminal was opened, but it was only in 1958, with the donation of the City Hall Aviation Field area to the Ministry of Aeronautics, that the place became known as Santos Dumont Airport.
Part of the land for the construction of the equipment was donated by one of the largest cattle ranchers in Minas Gerais, one of the pioneers of regional aviation. To honor him, from 2007 onwards, the airport received its current name, Uberaba Mário de Almeida Franco Airport.
At this time, the unit was managed by Infraero, which took control of the airport in 1980. Since then, several renovations and improvements were carried out. In 2008, the airport's passenger terminal doubled its handling capacity from 100 to 200 thousand passengers per year. The Air Navigation building was also built, where the control tower operates. The landing and take-off runway and the pavement at the thresholds were restored in 2019, with the aim of making the unit safer.
To guarantee its users increasingly comfort and safety, during the next 30 years, the concession period, Aena Brasil will modernize Uberaba Mário de Almeida Franco Airport, preparing the unit for the demands of the present and the future.