Recife's Guararapes International Airport (REC), about ten kilometres south of the centre, is the main air gateway to northeast Brazil. Direct flights connect to most major Brazilian cities and to a growing list of European hubs — Lisbon, Frankfurt, Paris, Madrid — alongside seasonal services to North America.
From the airport, a metered taxi to Boa Viagem takes ten to fifteen minutes; to the historic centre, around twenty-five. There is also a metro line running from the airport to the central station, useful at peak hours when traffic congeals.
Long-distance buses use the TIP terminal in the western suburbs, with services across the northeast, to the south as far as São Paulo, and to inland Pernambuco and Paraíba.