Marechal Cunha Machado International Airport — São Luís, Brazil

Marechal Cunha Machado International Airport, coded SLZ, serves Sao Luis, the capital of Maranhao state and the only Brazilian city founded by the French rather than the Portuguese, established in the early 17th century before changing hands to Dutch and then Portuguese control. That colonial layering left behind a historic center of tiled facades and colonial mansions well preserved enough to earn UNESCO World Heritage status, a rarity among Brazil's larger coastal cities. SLZ connects this culturally distinctive corner of Brazil's northeast to Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia, and regional cities across Maranhao and neighboring states, supporting both tourism to the historic center and traffic tied to the state's agricultural and mining exports. The facility's name honors a Brazilian marshal, and it functions as the primary air link for a city whose reggae music culture and colonial architecture make it distinct even among Brazil's many historic port towns.