Congestionamento Aeroportuario, Escassez de Capacidade e Planejamento na Macrometropole Paulista

TL;DR

This paper analyzes capacity constraints and operational challenges of São Paulo's main airports, emphasizing the need for integrated planning due to saturation risks and resource limitations.

Contribution

It provides an analytical framework for understanding airport capacity scarcity and discusses strategic planning solutions based on international examples.

Findings

Capacity of São Paulo airports is projected to be exceeded soon.

Expansion is limited by high costs and environmental constraints.

Efficient resource management is crucial for future airport operations.

Abstract

This article presents an analytical account of the capacity limits and operational challenges of the main airports in the S\~ao Paulo Macrometropolis. Drawing on international examples, such as London Heathrow, it discusses how large hubs combine high traffic generation with severe physical constraints, highlighting how saturation intensifies delays, operating costs, and pressures for expansion. It analyzes capacity scarcity as a central economic problem, in which runways, aprons, boarding gates, and terminals become critical resources whose use requires administrative and market mechanisms, including slot coordination, prioritization rules, and regulatory incentives. It discusses the limitations imposed by high earthmoving costs, environmental impacts, and expropriation costs, which restrict the physical expansion of central airports such as Congonhas and increase dependence on efficiency gains. Demand projections indicate that the combined capacity of Congonhas, Guarulhos, and Viracopos is likely to be exceeded, even in conservative scenarios, reinforcing the urgency of integrated planning. The effects of regulatory restrictions on Congonhas, the challenges of expanding Guarulhos, and the structural difficulties of Viracopos are evaluated, highlighting the strategic relevance of this multi-airport system for sustaining national connectivity.