Floripa Airport Cargo, the freight terminal operated by Zurich Airport Brasil, has rapidly positioned itself as a pivotal player in Latin America’s air logistics landscape. Recently ranked the third fastest – growing cargo terminal in Latin America and the leading performer in Brazil by Rotate – a consultancy specialising in aviation analytics – the facility has recorded a 360% increase in cargo volume over the past five years. In the first half of 2025, cargo throughput rose by 44% compared to the same period in 2024, outpacing long-established hubs such as Galeão (GIG) in Rio de Janeiro and Jorge Chávez International (LIM) in Lima.
This trajectory not only signals a shift in Brazil’s internal logistics geography but also underscores a broader policy and commercial realignment toward decentralised, mid-sized cargo gateways with targeted infrastructure investments and multimodal connectivity.
Structural shifts
Floripa Airport Cargo’s evolution reflects a transition in Brazil’s air transport and trade facilitation policy. The Brazilian Ministry of Infrastructure has long prioritised the development of regional gateways as part of its Plano Nacional de Logística 2035 (National Logistics Plan), which aims to reduce national logistics costs – currently estimated at 12.3% of GDP – to align with the OECD average of 8–9%.
As cargo growth in megahubs like São Paulo Guarulhos (GRU) faces spatial, environmental, and operational constraints, Floripa’s ascent offers a practical model for scalable development. The airside investment strategy employed at Floripa – focused on automation, specialised cold chain capacity and faster customs clearance – has contributed to measurable efficiency gains.
“Floripa is no longer peripheral,” commented Ricardo Gesse, CEO of Zurich Airport Brasil. “It is central to a new Brazilian logistics corridor, one that offers reliability, speed and sector- specific infrastructure, especially for high-value and time-sensitive exports.”
A network-driven growth strategy
A key catalyst for the terminal’s expansion has been its widening international connectivity. As of mid-2025, the terminal operates seven regular international routes throughout the week. LATAM Cargo and Avianca Cargo have established weekly flights to Miami, while LATAM further connects Floripa to Frankfurt and Brussels – key nodes for pharmaceuticals and electronics in the EU. TAP Air Portugal initiated services in late 2024, linking the region directly to Western Europe. Additionally, Copa Airlines has scaled operations to Panama City, enhancing Floripa’s transshipment access to Central and North America.
Rotate data indicates that in H1 2025, airlines operating at Floripa saw a combined 32% increase in shipment volumes year-on-year. This route stability and volume growth underline a virtuous cycle of airline confidence and operator commitment – a core precondition for transforming regional airports into sustainable air cargo hubs.
Infrastructure modernisation
Zurich Airport Brasil invested R$10.5 million ($2 million) in 2024 to expand and modernise the terminal. This included R$8 million ($1.4 million) directed at facility expansion – most notably, the addition of 1,000 sq m of dry storage, tripling the existing warehousing footprint – and R$2.5 million ($500,000) allocated to state-of-the-art handling systems.
A significant development was the commissioning of a new cold storage facility with 1,850 cubic metres of capacity, representing a 400% increase in cold-chain capabilities. This has proven especially relevant to Brazil’s pharmaceutical and agri-export sectors, where compliance with Good Distribution Practice (GDP) guidelines and shelf-life assurance are paramount.
Importantly, the terminal now clears approximately 80% of cargo within 24 hours – a performance metric that compares favourably with both regional and global standards, positioning Floripa as a viable node for just-in-time supply chains.
The terminal’s expansion has had tangible effects on trade facilitation. The number of companies utilising Floripa Airport Cargo for imports and exports rose by 42% in the first half of 2025. Sectors seeing the greatest uptake include high – value electronics, medical devices, agri-tech components, and precision machinery – all categories with high airfreight dependency and sensitivity to lead time.
Santa Catarina, where Floripa is located, has long been one of Brazil’s most export – oriented states. In 2024, the state accounted for over US$11 billion in exports, according to data from the Brazilian Ministry of Development, Industry and Trade. The integration of direct air links to Europe and North America from Floripa therefore offers exporters a time-efficient alternative to coastal maritime routes or transfers via São Paulo.
For air cargo stakeholders, Floripa’s rise illustrates how non-traditional hubs can emerge as key enablers of national and regional logistics performance. The interplay between targeted capital expenditure, international route development, and administrative efficiency demonstrates a replicable blueprint – particularly for other mid-sized airports across Latin America, Southeast Asia, and Africa aiming to diversify cargo flows away from overstretched megahubs.
Reshaping Brazil’s air cargo geography
Floripa Airport Cargo’s emergence as a leading cargo terminal in Latin America is both a reflection of local operational excellence and broader structural shifts in global freight patterns. It demonstrates that with strategic investment, strong airline partnerships, and policy alignment, regional airports can drive export competitiveness and supply chain resilience at national scale. For Brazil’s air cargo professionals and policymakers, Floripa’s success suggests that the next generation of logistics growth may come not from expanding capacity at megahubs, but from replicating Floripa’s disciplined and data – driven approach across the country’s underutilised regional assets.
