Although Rio de Janeiro-Galeao Airport officially has Terminal 2, only Terminal 2 is used for check-in and arrivals.
Terminal 1 has not been in operation since 2016. While some departure gates remain in the Terminal 1 building, these can only be reached via Terminal 2 via a roughly 400-metre long pedestrian corridor.
In general, however, distances within Terminal 2 are very short. The airport is clear and the check-in process is fast.
The ground floor is dedicated to arrivals and the 2nd floor to departures - when viewed from the outside, the right section is dedicated to domestic departures and the left section to international departures.
Find a hotel near Galeao Airport
Transfer between flights
As the airport has only one working terminal, transferring here is very easy and straightforward.
Below we describe situations where you have both flights purchased as one booking or if you have your own transfer (two separate bookings) without checked baggage.
International <-> International
When connecting between two international flights, you do not need to leave the transit zone. Follow the "International Connections" signs.
There is no immigration check, but you will go through a security check designed exclusively for transfer passengers.
- Average transfer time - 10-25 minutes
- Baggage on transfer - will be transferred automatically
International -> Domestic
After exiting the plane, you will have to walk towards the gate and immigration control. After that, you will collect your luggage and follow the signs to the check-in counters where you will check in and go through security.
- Average transfer time - 40-70 minutes
- Baggage on transfer - you must collect and re-check in
Domestic -> International
Once you exit the aircraft, you must exit the transit area and go through the public section to go through the normal security and immigration check.
There are no long queues.
- Average transfer time - 35-65 minutes
- Baggage on transfer - will be transferred automatically
Domestic <-> Domestic
Upon exiting the aircraft, you will find yourself directly in the departure gate area.
There is no security check.
- Average transfer time - 5-15 minutes
- Baggage on transfer - will be transferred automatically
Overnight in the terminal - opening hours
The entire airport is open 24/7. Unfortunately, however, there are no comfortable seats or rest areas in the public area.
In addition, the airport is busy overnight as domestic and international departures are 24/7.
Hotels near the airport
For early morning departures, we recommend staying overnight at a hotel near the airport.
There are two hotels within walking distance (within 5 minutes) of Terminal 2.
