Rio de Janeiro, BrazilSmoking policy at Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro Santos Dumont Airport (SDU)
Warnings & Caveats
No smoking is permitted anywhere inside the terminal, before or after security. Violations of Brazil's indoor smoking ban can result in fines. If you exit after security to smoke, you must go through the full security screening process again before boarding.
Santos Dumont Airport (SDU) is a compact domestic hub right in the heart of Rio de Janeiro, and smoking is only permitted in designated outdoor areas outside the terminal building. There are no smoking rooms or designated smoking areas anywhere inside the terminal, either before or after security.
Before Security
Your only option is to step outside the terminal building entirely and use one of the designated outdoor smoking spots on the landside. The airport does not publish a detailed map of these spots, but they are located in the open-air areas around the terminal entrance. Given the airport's small footprint and central location, these areas are generally easy to reach from the check-in hall.
After Security
There are no smoking facilities airside at SDU. Once you pass through security, you cannot smoke anywhere inside the terminal. If you have a long layover or a connecting flight and need to smoke, you will need to exit the secure area, go outside to the designated outdoor smoking spot, and then go back through security screening again. Keep this in mind when planning your time before a flight, as re-entering through security takes additional time.
Transit and Connecting Flights
SDU handles primarily domestic routes, so most passengers connecting here are doing so within Brazil. If you need to smoke during a connection, you must leave the terminal, smoke in the outdoor designated area, and clear security again before your next flight. Allow extra time for this, especially during busy morning and evening shuttle periods when security queues can build up.
Vaping
No specific vaping policy for SDU is mentioned in available sources. Brazil has general restrictions on e-cigarettes, and ANVISA (Brazil's health regulator) has historically banned the sale and import of e-cigarettes in the country. Treat vaping the same as smoking and only use it in the outdoor designated areas outside the terminal, if at all.
Bottom Line
Smoke before you go through security, outside the terminal building. Once airside, there are no options at all, so plan your timing accordingly.
Is something wrong or outdated?
Help us keep information accurate. Submit a correction and we'll review it.
