New facilities at Passo Fundo airport come into operation on Friday

The new facilities at Lauro Kurtz Airport, in Passo Fundo, will start operating next Friday (20). The arrival of the first flight, from the Azul company, is scheduled for 9:25 am. The start date for activities was defined by the Airport Department (DAP) of the Logistics and Transport Secretariat (Selt), together with the Brazilian Airport Infrastructure Company (Infraero) – airport manager hired by the State government –, airlines and the city ​​hall of Passo Fundo.

In December 2022, in a meeting attended by DAP, Infraero and secretaries from Passo Fundo, airline operators Gol and Azul were informed that all items necessary for using the terminal had been met. The State’s intention was to carry out the migration to the new facilities in December, but, after adjustments by the airlines, it was defined that it would take place in the second half of January 2023.

In the last two years, the airport underwent expansion and modernization of the entire airport site, based on the Term of Commitment (TC) 5/2017, signed between the Secretariat of Civil Aviation (SAC), linked to the Ministry of Infrastructure of the federal government , and Selt. With a start order issued at the end of October 2020, the runway was fully recovered, increasing the structural capacity.

There was also the installation of equipment to aid navigation, led beaconing and creation of a patio for aircraft – with five 3C positions (four B737.800/Embraer 195-E2 positions and one ATR-72 position) and approximately 16,000 square meters – and a terminal with more than 2 thousand square meters, in addition to a substation and a utilities center.

Complementing the innovations are the execution of service roads (Fire Fighting and Supplies Section), parking areas and improvements in access to the terminal. In the term of commitment signed with SAC, the renovation of the old terminal is foreseen to house the Fire Fighting Section (Sescinc). The process is in the final stage of contracting the project. Currently, Sescinc’s category is CAT 5, served by the Military Fire Department.

Investments

In total, approximately R$ 54.9 million were invested, with the State responsible for R$ 11.9 million, around 22% of the total. In addition to this amount, the term of commitment determines that the State is also responsible for acquiring equipment and furniture for the terminal (treadmills, counters, x-rays, gantry and furniture in general), budgeted at approximately R$ 2.5 million. In this regard, the State obtained a non-onerous assignment of use of the equipment with Infraero (treadmills, check-in counters and luggage carousel upon disembarkation), which should undergo a modernization (retrofit) in the amount of R$ 102 thousand. The maintenance of fire-fighting vehicles received an investment of R$ 64 thousand.

The hiring of Infraero by the State to manage the airport costs approximately R$ 266,000 a month. About to turn 50, the company acts as the executing arm of public policies for civil aviation, with the purpose of implementing, managing, operating and exploiting the airport infrastructure industrially and commercially. Its network currently comprises 19 airports. It also maintains ten management and operation contracts with states and municipalities.