Santos Dumont: understand what changes with the restrictions – 06/15/2023 – Market

The debate on the future of Santos Dumont and Galeão airports, in Rio de Janeiro, gained another chapter this Wednesday (14).

After meeting with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), the mayor of Rio, Eduardo Paes (PSD), announced that Santos Dumont will have flight restrictions.

The measure seeks to direct a greater flow of aircraft and passengers to Galeão, which has suffered the emptiness process.

Next, understand what’s at stake and what might change for passengers if restrictions take effect.

What are the characteristics of each airport?

Less than 20 kilometers separate Santos Dumont from Galeão. Focused on domestic aviation, Santos Dumont is located in the center of Rio.

It is next to businesses installed in the region and closer to tourist attractions in the south zone, such as Sugarloaf Mountain and Copacabana and Ipanema beaches.

Its infrastructure, however, is smaller than that of Galeão, which receives national and international flights. Galeão is located on Ilha do Governador, in the northern part of the capital of Rio de Janeiro, and also plays an important role in transporting cargo in the state.

Santos Dumont is managed by the state-owned company Infraero. Galeão, in turn, is in the hands of the concessionaire RIOgaleão, which is controlled by Changi, from Singapore.

What restrictions can be adopted at Santos Dumont?

Paes said this Wednesday that Lula agreed to restrict air traffic at Santos Dumont. According to the mayor, the central airport will be used only for the air link with Congonhas, in São Paulo, and for connections with Brasília.

Thus, the other domestic flights must be transferred to Galeão. Currently, Santos Dumont connects Rio to different regions of the country.

According to Paes, Lula also agreed with a measure to prevent tourists traveling abroad from Rio from being able to check in at Santos Dumont when the flight to the foreign city departs from another city, such as São Paulo.

Currently, tourists check-in for an international flight at the Rio de Janeiro terminal, but then travel to another destination in Brazil and only then travel to other countries.

This change would have the objective of stimulating Galeão’s international operations. With the measure in force, if a tourist going abroad wants to leave Santos Dumont, he will need to make a trip to Congonhas or Brasília. You will then have to check-in again and drop off your luggage.

When do the restrictions take effect?

There is still no confirmation on deadlines. By Paes’ projection, the restrictions could be adopted from January.

Why were the restrictions announced?

The reduction in the flow of passengers on Santos Dumont is an agenda that united political and business leaders in Rio.

The assessment is that there is a lack of coordination with Galeão. By this logic, there would be a predatory relationship between the terminals.

After the crisis generated by the pandemic, the resumption of movement occurred more quickly at Santos Dumont than at Galeão.

In 2022, the domestic airport received more than 10 million passengers, between departures and arrivals, according to data from Infraero. The contingent was close to 9 million pre-pandemic.

Galeão, in turn, totaled less than 6 million paid passengers in 2022, according to Anac (National Civil Aviation Agency). Over the past decade, the terminal has received more than 16 million travelers a year.

Given this context, the restrictions on Santos Dumont would be an attempt to take more flights to Galeão.

In the view of local leaders, with few domestic connections, the Ilha do Governador terminal is unable to attract international flights.

What is the user rating?

Some users tend to complain about greater difficulty in accessing Galeão compared to Santos Dumont.

These complaints reappeared on social media this Wednesday after Paes announced restrictions for the domestic airport.

Access to Galeão is via routes such as the Linha Vermelha. Users complain about traffic jams and point out a feeling of insecurity due to cases of urban violence in the region.

For the leaders of Rio, the emptying of the international airport would not have been driven by these factors.

“We can spend a long time talking about the problems of the city of Rio de Janeiro, and they exist, nobody is contesting it, but that is not the reason for what is happening with Galeão”, said Paes at an event in April.

“What happens to Galeão is disrespect of the national entity, the federal government, which regulates this system”, he added at the time.

What do analysts say about the matter?

As reported by the Sheet in February, the subject generates different opinions among analysts.

Part agrees with the arguments of the city hall and the state government, but there are those who consider that the emptying of Galeão is more associated with structural problems in Rio, such as economic turmoil and urban violence.

What remains to be resolved at Galeão?

The future of the international airport still depends on new definitions. In February 2022, RIOgaleão announced a request to return the terminal’s concession. The company associated the measure with economic difficulties exacerbated by the pandemic.

As a result, the Jair Bolsonaro (PL) government began planning a joint auction for Galeão and Santos Dumont. By that logic, the same investor group could manage the two terminals.

In November last year, RIOgaleão signed an addendum with reservations to proceed with the return. At the time, Anac 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. According to Minister Márcio França (Ports and Airports), the company signaled an interest in putting together an agreement for staying at the airport.

The legal viability of the settlement, however, is uncertain. The federal government decided to consult the TCU (Tribunal de Contas da União) on the subject. A position from the body is expected for the discussion to move forward.

Who will manage Santos Dumont?

The governor of Rio de Janeiro, Cláudio Castro (PL), said on Monday (12) that he is studying with the federal government the creation of a shared management for Santos Dumont.

The idea is that the capital of Rio de Janeiro also participates in this management. Castro’s statement was given after a meeting with Lula.

According to the governor, shared management would be formalized through an SPE (Specific Purpose Company), which could also hire Changi, the company that manages Galeão, to control the flow at both airports.

Paes, in turn, said on Wednesday that he had not raised the issue of the international terminal concession with Lula.