Aena has today announced an investment of more than 2,000 million Brazilian reais (about 370 million euros) in the expansion and modernization project of the Congonhas airport in São Paulo (Brazil). This action on the second busiest airport in the country of Rio de Janeiro is part of an investment plan of some 4,500 million Brazilian reais (832 million euros) in the so-called Block of Eleven Airports of Brazil (BOAB) in the coming years, according to a statement.
During the last quarter of 2023, the airport operator became the winner of the concession for this set of aerodromes, located in four states (São Paulo, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais and Pará) for a period of 30 years. Thus, it manages 17 airports in Brazil, that is, 20% of the South American country's air traffic.
The Spanish company will provide the Congonhas airport, among other actions, with a new passenger terminal that will double the size of the current one, with more boarding bridges and 20,000 square meters of commercial spaces. These works will increase the airport's capacity to 29.5 million passengers annually.
The President of Aena, Maurici Lucena, has highlighted the relevance of this project “which is Aena's most important in the international arena and whose size and great technical complexity make it available only to
a few airport companies in the world, like Aena, which has already demonstrated in Brazil that it is capable of successfully completing major projects.”
Work on the new São Paulo terminal will begin in 2024 and its completion is scheduled for June 2028. The boarding and arrivals area will double in size, up to 105,000 square meters.
The departure terminal will have a new check-in hall and 19 new boarding bridges, which will replace the current 12, allowing 70% of boarding to be direct to the planes.
Congonhas will also gain commercial space, with a greater range of services for passengers, new VIP lounges, offices and business rooms. The airport will have a new 215,000 square meter apron for commercial aviation and aircraft parking will increase from 30 to 37.
The existing runways and aprons will receive the so-called “structural reinforcement” and, in addition, new taxiways for aircraft, a new service road for general aviation and a rapid runway exit will be built to make operations safer and more efficient. .
In terms of sustainability, the Congonhas airport will have a new electrical substation, which will allow the use of clean energy. There will also be a new solid waste collection point and a water treatment station, as well as more natural lighting and a more efficient air conditioning system.
With the Aena Brasil brand, which manages these 17 airports in the country, the Spanish airport manager successfully completed the remodeling works of the Northeast airports last year, whose flagship is the Recife airport.
