Galeão Airport: governor expects solution in 2 weeks – 06/01/2023 – Market

The governor of Rio de Janeiro, Cláudio Castro, said this Thursday (1st) that he hopes to obtain a definitive solution to the question of how Galeão airport will be managed during the week of June 12th.

The airport operator, Changi, asked the government, on May 10, for more time to decide whether to maintain interest in the concession, which has been facing difficulties with the drop in the number of passengers.

“We’ve already given Changi a long time to make the final decision,” he said, at an event about the electricity sector in Rio. “The time has come to act and make a decision. We cannot be hostage to them.”

The state, however, does not interfere with the concession, which belongs to the Ministry of Ports and Airports. But Castro has been working with the federal government to try to find a solution, in partnership with the city of Rio.

Rio de Janeiro authorities are trying to transfer part of the traffic to Galeão today at Santos Dumont airport, claiming that the former needs more national connections to attract international flights.

In 2022, Galeão received less than 6 million passengers, while Santos Dumont had more than 10 million. The government has already committed to reducing that number.

Earlier this week, the Minister of Ports and Airports, Márcio França, stated that the federal government intends to reduce the flow of passengers at Santos Dumont to approximately 8.5 million in 2024, in an attempt to boost the international airport.

Castro proposes that Santos Dumont only fly to São Paulo and Brasília. All other destinations, he defends, should be transferred to the international airport.

He said he had no preference for the solution for Galeão, which could also be operated by Infraero again in case of Changi’s withdrawal.

“We are not here to defend anyone,” he said. “We want them to solve it, either with Infraero or Changi, we have no predilection.” He stressed, however, that the departure of an international company could scratch the state’s image.

In February 2022, RIOgaleão, controlled by Changi, announced its intention to return control of the airport. The company associated the measure with economic difficulties exacerbated by the pandemic.

Changi signed, in November, 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. In January, França signaled the interest of the Lula administration and the company itself in putting together an agreement for the permanence of the current concessionaire. The construction of this agreement is seen with reservations in the legal environment. The case is also being analyzed by the TCU (Union Court of Auditors).

The Galeão concession, granted in 2013, is expected to end in 2039.