Recife/Guararapes-Gilberto Freyre International Airport RECSBRF

Recife/Guararapes-Gilberto Freyre International Airport (REC) is the main airport for Recife and Pernambuco and one of the key gateways in Brazil’s Northeast. It functions as an Azul hub and a GOL focus city rather than a global-alliance hub; Azul, GOL and LATAM dominate domestic flying, while TAP and selected South American/longer-haul services give it a modest but useful international role. The airport is easy to read: scheduled passenger flights use Terminal 1, with domestic and international operations in the same building, so transfers are by walking rather than shuttle. The airport is about 11 km from downtown Recife; for most frequent flyers the simplest city transfer is taxi or ride-hailing, roughly 20-35 minutes in normal traffic, while the Metro South Line is a budget-friendly option via the covered walkway to Airport Station, with more walking and a transfer if heading to the historic centre. REC is practical for connections but not a place to gamble on separate tickets: allow time for security, immigration, baggage and re-check. For layovers, the strongest on-site feature is 24-hour W Premium Lounge plus W Premium Rooms/W Rooms rest options; for longer daylight layovers, Boa Viagem is close, while Recife Antigo/Marco Zero is better with a wider time buffer.

Timezone: America/Recife

Airport lounges

Lounge access is reference info; commission never ranks.

Official info

Official site

https://www.aenabrasil.com.br/pt/aeroportos/aeroporto-internacional-do-recife-guararapes-gilberto-freyre/index.html

As of 2026-06-20 — confirm with the airport.

Airport facts

ICAO

SBRF

Elevation

33 ft

Scheduled service

Yes

Runways

1

Longest runway

9865 ft

Terminals

To the city

• Metro → Recife Station / city centre · Aeroporto Station on Linha Sul is the nearest metro station. Aena lists service Monday-Sunday 05:00-23:00 with 8-minute intervals on Linha Sul; the airport is 11 km from the city centre.

Taxi

Official taxi services at arrivals: common taxi at North and South Arrivals, 24h, (81) 3322-5050; special taxi at South Arrivals, 24h, (81) 3322-4153.

Train / metro

Metro: Aeroporto Station, Linha Sul, nearest station; service listed by Aena Monday-Sunday 05:00-23:00.

Airport services

Cities served

Hotels near the airport