Aena, which operates 20% of Brazil's air traffic, publicly presented on Monday the project to expand and modernise Congonhas Airport (São Paulo), the second busiest airport in the country. The Spanish airport operator will invest over BRL 2 billion in this infrastructure over the next few years to provide it, among other facilities, with a new passenger terminal that will double the size of the current one, with more passenger boarding bridges and 20,000 square metres for commercial premises. This operation will increase the airport's capacity to 29.5 million passengers per year.
The Chairman of Aena, Maurici Lucena, highlighted the importance of this project "which is Aena's most important in the international area and whose scope and great technical complexity mean that it is only within the reach of a few airport companies in the world, such as Aena, which has already evidenced in Brazil that it is capable of successfully completing large-scale projects". Under the Aena Brazil brand, which manages 17 airports in the country, the Spanish airport operator successfully completed last year the renovation works in airports of the North-East, with Recife airport at the forefront. The total investment in the Block of Eleven Brazilian Airports (BOAB) for the coming years, which includes Congonhas, will amount to BRL 4.5 billion.
Work on the new São Paulo terminal will begin in 2024 and is scheduled for completion in June 2028. The boarding and arrivals area will double in size to 105,000 square metres. The departures terminal will have a new check-in hall and 19 new boarding bridges, which will replace the current 12 bridges, allowing 70% of boardings to be direct to the aircraft.
With the expansion, Congonhas will also gain commercial space, with a wider range of services for passengers, new VIP lounges, offices and business lounges. The airport will have a new 215,000 square metre apron for commercial aviation and aircraft parking areas will increase from 30 to 37. Existing runways and aprons will receive so-called "structural reinforcement" and, moreover, new aircraft taxiways, a new general aviation service road and a fast runway exit will be built to make operations safer and more efficient.
The whole project includes the preservation, revitalisation and integration of the areas listed as Historical Heritage.
In terms of sustainability, 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.
