The government has extended by 24 months the deadline for re-tendering the concession for Tom Jobim-Galeão International Airport, on Governador Island, in the northern part of Rio de Janeiro. The decision was published in Official Diary of the Union this Thursday (1st).
The measure is a decision by the Investment Partnerships Program Council (CPPI), a government agency that deals with partnerships with the private sector, concessions and privatization. The countdown starts on August 12, according to the resolution signed by the Minister of the Civil House, Rui Costa, president of the CPPI.
In 2013, Galeão Airport was granted to the private sector, being operated by Changi Airports International, a Singaporean company, which now holds 51% of the structure, with the state-owned Infraero holding 49%. Changi manages around 50 airports in more than 20 countries.
The transition began in April 2014, and the terminals began to be operated by Changi in August 2014. According to the company, Tom Jobim International Airport received investments of R$2 billion.
In February 2022, Changi submitted a request to the National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC) to voluntarily return Galeão to the Federal Government, claiming that the drop in passenger demand had caused a financial imbalance in the concession contract. In 2020, the year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the aviation sector was one of the most affected economic activities worldwide.
The withdrawal request paved the way for the government to re-tender the airport’s operations. However, according to concession rules, Changi must maintain quality and operational safety requirements until a new company takes over operations.
Retreat
In October 2023, the Singaporean company backtracked and sent a letter to the Ministry of Ports and Airports, ANAC and CPPI, in which it expressed its interest in remaining in operation. However, for the withdrawal to be accepted, it would need the approval of the federal government, a decision that has not been made to date.
Passenger flow
A drop in passenger demand at Galeão caused the airport to fall from second to tenth place in 12 years ranking of the busiest in the country.
In August 2023, the federal government announced flight restrictions at Santos Dumont airport, in downtown Rio de Janeiro, to increase demand at Galeão.
The measure has yielded results. In the first half of 2024, 6.6 million passengers passed through Galeão, almost double the number recorded in the same period last year, 3.4 million. In the same comparison, the number of landings and takeoffs grew 84%, from 27,611 to 50,812, 73% of which were domestic.
