Changi wants to stay at Galeão, and talks will continue after Carnival, says government – 02/10/2023 – Market

Changi expressed this Friday (10) its intention to retain the concession for Galeão International Airport, in Rio de Janeiro, the Ministry of Ports and Airports said in a statement.

According to the folder, the federal government and the company will discuss the matter again after Carnival, and the alternatives for managing the airport are being analyzed by the National Civil Aviation Secretariat.

Changi, from Singapore, owns 51% of RIOgaleão, which manages the terminal in Rio. The other 49% belong to Infraero.

In 2022, the company decided to hand over the concession, citing economic difficulties exacerbated by the pandemic in the airport sector.

The Minister of Ports and Airports, Márcio França, had a meeting this Friday with the international CEO of Changi, Eugene Gan, in Brasília.

“The company reiterated its intention to maintain operations at Galeão Airport and pledged to dedicate special attention during the Carnival period, when Rio de Janeiro, Brazil’s postcard, receives a large number of tourists”, said the ministry in note.

“It was defined that, after Carnival, the parties will talk again. The alternatives for the administration of Galeão Airport are in the study phase, which are being carried out by the National Secretariat of Civil Aviation (SAC),” he added.

Consulted by the report, RIOgaleão did not manifest itself until the publication of this text.

In February 2022, the concessionaire announced the request to return the terminal’s concession. With that, the Jair Bolsonaro (PL) government began to design a joint auction for Galeão and Santos Dumont, the other major airport in Rio.

By that logic, the same investor group could manage the two terminals.

In November, RIOgaleão even signed, with reservations, an amendment to proceed with the return. At the time, Anac (National Civil Aviation Agency) indicated that, upon signing the document, the concessionaire would declare “irrevocable and irreversible adhesion to the rebidding”.

With the change of government, the debate gained new contours. After a meeting in Rio in January, Minister Márcio França (Ports and Airports) had already signaled the interest of the Lula administration and the company itself in putting together an agreement for the concessionaire to remain in Galeão.