João Simões Lopes Neto International Airport
João Simões Lopes Neto International Airport
Pelotas–João Simões Lopes Neto International Airport (IATA: PET, ICAO: SBPK) is the airport serving Pelotas, Brazil. This airport was named after the regional writer João Simões Lopes Neto (1865 — 1916). It is operated by Motiva.
Location
31.717°S, 52.328°O · 18 m s. n. m. (59 ft)
General data
Runways · 1
Lengths and surfaces from the public OurAirports register; open runways only.
Radio frequencies · 1
Flight information
Reference frequencies for enthusiasts, from OurAirports (community database, public domain), checked on Oct 16, 2026. They may be outdated or incomplete and do not replace the AIP or current charts: not for navigation. In Europe the published frequency may be an 8.33 kHz channel (e.g., 118.505 for 118.500). In MHz.
History
On June 22, 1927 the city of Pelotas received the first official commercial passenger flight operated by the first Brazilian airline, Varig, founded only a month earlier. The flight Porto Alegre/Pelotas/Rio Grande, operated by an amphibian Dornier Wal, used Pelotas River for landing and take-off operations. However, as early as 1930 a small terminal was built by a grass strip on the site where today is the airport.
In 1935 the airport with all the necessary amenities was officially inaugurated and continues in operation ever since.
In 1997 the whole airport complex was extensively renovated and a new terminal was opened in 1998. In 2001 it was upgraded to international status.
Pelotas is commonly used by the Brazilian Air Force as the last stop in Brazil on its flights to the Brazilian Antarctic Base.
Previously operated by Infraero, on April 7, 2021 CCR won a 30-year concession to operate the airport. On April 26, 2025 CCR was rebranded as Motiva.
On November 18, 2025 the entire airports portfolio of Motiva was sold to the Mexican airport operator ASUR. Motiva will cease to operate airports. The transaction was completed on August 31, 2026.
Airlines operating here · 3
Other airlines with direct routes
Airlines with current passenger routes from here, according to Wikipedia route tables cross-checked from both ends (October 2026).
Photo: Scheridon · CC BY-SA 3.0 · view original
Data from OurAirports (public domain) · destinations and airlines from Wikipedia route tables (CC BY-SA, 2026), unless another source is given · profile and photo from Wikidata/Wikimedia Commons (CC0 / CC) · summary and history from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
Cite
To cite this page in academic work, an article or Wikipedia, choose the style and copy the reference. The access date is today.
This page was last updated on October 15, 2026
APA
Vuelopedia. (2026, October 15). João Simões Lopes Neto International Airport (PET). Retrieved October 18, 2026, from https://vuelopedia.org/en/airport/PET
MLA
“João Simões Lopes Neto International Airport (PET).” Vuelopedia, Fundación Poderia, 15 Oct. 2026, vuelopedia.org/en/airport/PET. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.
Chicago
Vuelopedia. “João Simões Lopes Neto International Airport (PET).” Fundación Poderia. Last modified October 15, 2026. https://vuelopedia.org/en/airport/PET.
Harvard
Vuelopedia (2026) João Simões Lopes Neto International Airport (PET). Available at: https://vuelopedia.org/en/airport/PET (Accessed: 18 October 2026).
BibTeX
@misc{vuelopedia_en_airport_pet,
author = {{Vuelopedia}},
title = {{João Simões Lopes Neto International Airport (PET)}},
publisher = {Fundación Poderia},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-10-15},
url = {https://vuelopedia.org/en/airport/PET},
howpublished = {\url{https://vuelopedia.org/en/airport/PET}},
urldate = {2026-10-18},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-18}
}Wikipedia
{{cite web |url=https://vuelopedia.org/en/airport/PET |title=João Simões Lopes Neto International Airport (PET) |website=Vuelopedia |publisher=Fundación Poderia |date=2026-10-15 |access-date=2026-10-18 |language=en}}