Airport guide
Guararapes-Gilberto Freyre International AirportIATA code REC
Guararapes-Gilberto Freyre International Airport (REC/SBRF) is the primary air passenger gateway serving Recife, Brazil in South America. The airfield connects travelers with essential regional transit routes and operating carrier options.
- Serves
- Recife, Brazil
- Codes
- REC · SBRF
- IATA · ICAO
- Time zone
- America/Recife
- Region
- South America
Guararapes-Gilberto Freyre International Airport (REC/SBRF) is the primary air passenger gateway serving Recife, Brazil in South America. Operating on America/Recife local time at coordinates -8.130°, -34.920°, the airfield functions as an active commercial transit hub for scheduled regional and international flights. Travelers navigating Guararapes-Gilberto Freyre International Airport (REC) are encouraged to confirm terminal layouts, ground transport connections into Recife, and flight schedules with their operating carrier prior to travel.
Guararapes-Gilberto Freyre International Airport details
- IATA code
- REC
- ICAO code
- SBRF
- City
- Recife
- Country
- Brazil
- Region
- South America
- Time zone
- America/Recife
- Coordinates
- -8.127°, -34.923°
- From OurAirports
- Official website
- infraero.com.br/index.php/br/aeroportos/pernambuco/aeroporto-internacional-do-recife.html (opens in a new tab)
- From Wikidata
Codes, region and time zone come from the Originfacts airport record (last updated 10 Jul 2026). Fields marked otherwise come from the dataset named on them. None are verified by hand against Guararapes-Gilberto Freyre International Airport’s own pages.
REC airport facts
- Size class
- Large airport
- From OurAirports (5 Oct 2026); OurAirports’ own classification
- Elevation
- 10 m (33 ft)
- From OurAirports (5 Oct 2026)
- Passengers, 2022
- 8.63 million
- Per Wikidata (opens in a new tab) (retrieved 5 Oct 2026), citing gov.br (opens in a new tab)
- Nearest airport with scheduled flights
- Presidente Castro Pinto International Airport JPA · 109 km
- OurAirports scheduled-service flag; straight-line distance calculated
Runways at REC
Source: OurAirports (opens in a new tab) runways data (public domain), retrieved 5 Oct 2026. Not an aeronautical source — not for navigation.
One open runway. The runway 18/36: 3,007 m, asphalt.
| Runway | Length | Width | Surface | Lighting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18/36 | 3,007 m9,865 ft | 45 m | asphalt | Not listed as lit |
Routes from REC
Originfacts does not track any routes from REC yet, so no route records are listed here. Check current schedules with the airlines or the airport’s own site.
Where REC is
9.4 km south-southwest
Guararapes-Gilberto Freyre International Airport lies 9.4 km south-southwest of Recife city centre in a straight line. Road distance is longer; transport options are not yet verified (see terminals and transport below).
Calculated from the airport coordinates (OurAirports) and the Wikidata (opens in a new tab) city-centre point.
Terminals, transport and parking at REC
Terminal assignments, ground transport into Recife, parking, lounges and accessibility services have not been verified against Guararapes-Gilberto Freyre International Airport’s own pages yet, so none are listed here.
Check directly:infraero.com.br/index.php/br/aeroportos/pernambuco/aeroporto-internacional-do-recife.html (opens in a new tab)Map of the airport location (opens in a new tab)
Before you travel
- Confirm your terminal with the operating airline.
- Check the check-in and bag-drop cut-off times on your booking.
- Allow extra time if you need to change terminals or check bags in again.
- Check your flight status before you leave for the airport.
Airports near Recife
Straight-line distances calculated from each airport’s coordinates in the Originfacts airport records. Road distances are longer.
- Joao PessoaPresidente Castro Pinto International AirportJPA109 km
- CaruaruCaruaruCAU111 km
- Campina GrandeJoao Suassuna AirportCPV144 km
- MaceioMaceio-Zumbi dos Palmares International AirportMCZ181 km
- NatalSao Goncalo do Amarante-Governador Aluizio Alves Intl AirportNAT248 km
- Teixeira de FreitasTeixeira de Freitas AirportTXF273 km
- Paulo AfonsoPaulo Afonso AirportPAV389 km
- AracajuAracaju AirportAJU396 km
- MossoroDixsept RosadoMVF418 km
Guararapes-Gilberto Freyre International Airport: common questions
Where is Guararapes-Gilberto Freyre International Airport?
Guararapes-Gilberto Freyre International Airport serves Recife, Brazil. Its coordinates in OurAirports are -8.127°, -34.923°.
What are the airport codes for Guararapes-Gilberto Freyre International Airport?
The IATA code is REC and the ICAO code is SBRF.
What time zone is REC in?
Guararapes-Gilberto Freyre International Airport is in the America/Recife time zone.
What is the official website of Guararapes-Gilberto Freyre International Airport?
The airport’s official website is infraero.com.br/index.php/br/aeroportos/pernambuco/aeroporto-internacional-do-recife.html. For questions about a booking, contact the operating airline.
How many runways does Guararapes-Gilberto Freyre International Airport have?
OurAirports lists one open runway at REC: 18/36 (3,007 m (9,865 ft), asphalt).
When did Guararapes-Gilberto Freyre International Airport open?
Wikidata gives 1958 as its official opening date.
How many passengers use Guararapes-Gilberto Freyre International Airport?
Wikidata records 8.63 million passengers for 2022, the latest year it holds.
Who operates Guararapes-Gilberto Freyre International Airport?
Per Wikidata, REC is operated by Infraero.
How far is REC from Recife city centre?
Guararapes-Gilberto Freyre International Airport is about 9.4 km south-southwest of Recife city centre in a straight line, calculated from coordinates. The distance by road is longer.
What is the elevation of Guararapes-Gilberto Freyre International Airport?
OurAirports gives REC’s elevation as 10 m (33 ft) above sea level.
Sources
Nothing on this page is verified by hand yet. Each section comes from the dataset below, with its date where the dataset has one. Terminal, transport and parking details are left out until they can be read from Guararapes-Gilberto Freyre International Airport’s own pages.
- Codes, location, time zoneOriginfacts airport record10 Jul 2026
- Official websiteWikidata record (official website property) (opens in a new tab)5 Oct 2026
- Coordinates, runways, type, elevationOurAirports (opens in a new tab) — public domain5 Oct 2026
- Opening, operator, passengers, hubsWikidata item Q387704 (opens in a new tab) — CC05 Oct 2026
- Distance to city centreCalculated from airport coordinates and the Wikidata (opens in a new tab) city-centre point—
- Nearby airportsCalculated from airport coordinates—
- Terminals and transportNot yet verified—
Background reading:Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)