Recife/Guararapes - Gilberto Freyre International Airport — Recife, Brazil

Recife/Guararapes-Gilberto Freyre International Airport, coded REC, serves Recife, the capital of Pernambuco state and one of Brazil's oldest and most historically significant coastal cities. Its full name honors sociologist Gilberto Freyre, whose writing on Brazilian identity and race remains widely studied, while the Guararapes reference recalls decisive seventeenth-century battles fought nearby during the struggle to expel Dutch colonizers from northeastern Brazil. REC functions as the main aviation gateway to Brazil's northeastern coast, funneling both domestic travelers and a growing number of international visitors toward beach destinations such as Porto de Galinhas and the colonial architecture of neighboring Olinda. The region's economy long rested on sugar cane cultivation, and traces of that plantation history still shape the cultural landscape surrounding the airport. REC has expanded steadily as tourism and regional business travel have grown, cementing Recife's role as northeastern Brazil's principal air hub outside Salvador.