Panco III Heliport

The closure was voluntary, initiated by the heliport's owner and operator, the Panco food company. The official reason cited in the ANAC ordinance is 'a pedido do explorador' (at the request of the operator). This indicates the closure was for private business reasons, such as a change in corporate transportation strategy, cost-cutting, or a determination that the facility was no longer necessary for their operations. It was not closed due to an accident, safety violations, or military conversion.

The site is no longer a registered or operational heliport. Satellite imagery of the coordinates shows the Panco industrial complex remains active. The original helipad, a paved area marked with a circle and an 'H', is still faintly visible on the ground next to the main building. However, it is unmaintained and the area appears to be used as general open space or for vehicle maneuvering as part of the factory's grounds. The infrastructure is essentially abandoned from an aviation perspective.

Panco III Heliport was a private facility with the official Brazilian ICAO location indicator SJPC (the 'BR-2022' identifier is a non-standard code used by some third-party databases). It was built to serve the large Panco industrial and distribution center located in Seropédica, alongside the major Rodovia Presidente Dutra (BR-116) highway. Its primary function was to handle corporate helicopter operations, allowing for rapid transport of executives and key personnel, bypassing the heavy road traffic of the Rio de Janeiro metropolitan area. Its significance was purely logistical and private, tied directly to the operations of the Panco company.

There are no known plans, discussions, or prospects for reopening the Panco III Heliport. Since the closure was a deliberate business decision by the owner, reopening would require the company to have a renewed strategic need for a private heliport and be willing to undertake the regulatory process of re-registering the facility with ANAC. Given the permanent nature of the 2017 closure, reopening is considered highly unlikely.