SAO PAULO, Aug 9 (Reuters) - Operations at Salgado Filho

International Airport in the Brazilian city of Porto Alegre, one

of the country's busiest, will resume in October after

unprecedented floods in the region disrupted flights in May.

The airport, operated by Fraport, had its runways

and corridors submerged in water as heavy rains battered Rio

Grande do Sul, Brazil's southernmost state of which Porto Alegre

is the capital, killing more than 180 people.

Flights to and from Salgado Filho had been temporarily

suspended due to the damages to the runway and terminals. The

government allowed carriers to operate at the nearby Canoas Air

Force Base, but at reduced rates as the base did not have

adequate infrastructure.

The government said late on Thursday Salgado Filho's

operations will resume from Oct. 21, initially with 128 daily

flights. Airlines were cleared to sell tickets for flights to

and from Porto Alegre starting Friday.

The airport is expected to operate at full capacity from

Dec. 16, the government added.

"Initially there will be more than 3,000 flights per month,

which will, without a doubt, accelerate the recovery of the

state's economy," Ports and Airports Minister Silvio Costa Filho

said.

Azul ( AZUL ), one of Brazil's largest airlines, said in a

statement on Friday it would be the company with the most slots

available when operations restart, planning to operate as many

as 60 flights per day.

It has already started selling tickets for flights

connecting Porto Alegre to destinations such as Sao Paulo, Rio

de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte.

"We will be offering more than 57,000 seats a week, which

represents 78% of the operation that the company had there

before the floods," Azul's ( AZUL ) planning head Andre Mercadante said,

adding that flights to the Canoas Air Base will be suspended.

Local carriers are yet to divulge the financial impact of

the floods in the state. Azul ( AZUL ), which will publish its second-

quarter results next week, said in May the state represented

some 10% of its network.

Rival LATAM Airlines, whose Brazilian unit is the

country's largest airline by market share, said earlier this

week the floods had caused a $25 million hit to its operating

income in the second quarter.