Congonhas Airport, in the south of São Paulo, officially began expansion and modernization works this Wednesday (11).
To reduce the impact of the intervention, which will involve investments of R$2.4 billion by 2028, the main connection to domestic destinations in the country will reduce the number of daily flights.
The information was confirmed by the concessionaire Aena, responsible for the airport since October last year.
The plans are to reduce the 44 flights per hour to 40, reducing executive aviation activities. During the works, the terminal will continue to operate normally.
These four fewer flights will represent “fat” in the face of eventualities, as explained by Santiago Yus, CEO of Aena Brasil.
“Our challenge is to maintain the number of flights and good performance. These 4 flights will represent a buffer, a fat so that we can carry out the work with less impact on aviation as a whole”, he stated.
The concessionaire says that Congonhas operates with 44 movements per hour, 80% of maximum capacity (55 flights per hour).
Works
The aerodrome will gain a passenger terminal twice its current size, adding another 100 thousand m², new boarding bridges and 20 thousand m² for commercial areas.
Congonhas will also be able to receive aircraft with greater capacity such as the Airbus A321neo and the Boeing 737 Max 10. Delivery is expected to be June 2028.
The start of works represents a challenge for Congonhas Airport in the face of a problem that has been recurring: flight delays and cancellations, followed by queues and passenger complaints.
A report from the Airspace Control Department (Decea), an entity of the Brazilian Air Force (FAB), recently ranked Congonhas among the airports with the lowest punctuality.
The problems, according to experts interviewed by the report, are linked to the operation of the terminal close to capacity.
The concessionaire and airlines attribute the delays to adverse weather conditions, such as storms and winds.
Guarulhos Airport has the highest number of daily movements in the country. There, the maximum capacity is 60 movements per hour, but not all time slots reach the limit.
In Congonhas, the second with the most operations in Brazil, capacity is almost completely used throughout the day.
The announcement of the start of works with the laying of the cornerstone was attended by Maurici Lucena, president of Aena, the Minister of Ports and Airports, Silvio Costa Filho, and the vice-governor of São Paulo, Felicio Ramuth.
Lucena states that the R$2.4 billion that will be invested represents the company’s largest investment outside Spain. For Minister Costa Filho, the “investments will significantly change aviation in the State of São Paulo”.
Works will be divided into phases
Another concessionaire strategy to limit impacts is to divide the expansion into phases. This year, the concessionaire began expanding the remote boarding room and renovating the bathrooms, which should be completed in the first quarter of 2025.
“We carried out six months of studies to detail this phase and verify that it is compatible. Our expectation is to bring as little impact as possible”, says Santiago Yus.
– first phase: includes demolition of structures, installation of a construction site and improvements to the taxiway.
– second phase: covers the transfer of companies to new hangars, starting the construction of the new terminal pier.
– third phase: the boarding lanes and the baggage processing system will be installed.
To improve circulation in the surrounding area, the concessionaire intends to create 72 vacancies for app-based drivers.
This content was originally published in Congonhas Airport starts to reduce flights due to work; see what it looks like on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
I’m James Harper, a highly experienced and accomplished news writer for World Stock Market. I have been writing in the Politics section of the website for over five years, providing readers with up-to-date and insightful information about current events in politics. My work is widely read and respected by many industry professionals as well as laymen.
