After publicly criticizing the federal government’s intention to relax the annual passenger limit at Santos Dumont Airport, in the center of Rio de Janeiro, the mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Eduardo Paes, announced that he will meet with the Minister of Ports and Airports, Silvio Costa Filho, in the first half of January.
“I spoke with Minister Silvio Costa Filho, who has always been an ally in coordinating Rio’s airports, implemented the measures that strengthened Galeão and expanded our state’s flight network,” wrote Paes on X, formerly Twitter. “In view of the recent news, it was agreed that, in the second week of January, we will have a meeting to come up with the best solution for Rio and Brazil”, he added.
“I thank the president [Luiz Inácio] Lula [da Silva]which follows the matter with the utmost attention and sensitivity in defense of the interests of Rio de Janeiro”, he concluded.
Understand the dispute
Over the weekend, Eduardo Paes, also for
Linked to the Ministry of Ports and Airports, Anac is the regulatory agency for the airport system in the country. The agency repudiated the mayor’s statements.
In Paes’ view, the current ceiling of 6.5 million passengers per year favors the recovery of the city’s international airport, Tom Jobim, known as Galeão.
After Paes’ criticism, minister Costa Filho reinforced that the government is working on expanding the passenger limit on Santos Dumont, reaching up to 8 million per year.
Santos Dumont is owned by the state-owned Brazilian Airport Infrastructure Company (Infraero) and, in addition to being in the city center, it is also close to the south zone, the most tourist area in Rio.
Galeão, controlled by the private group Changi, is located on Ilha do Governador, in the north of the city. The distance between the two terminals is around 20 kilometers.
Galeão renegotiation
Galeão was granted to the private sector in 2014. However, in 2022, when the terminal suffered the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, which considerably reduced the number of passengers, the controlling group formally expressed to the government its intention to return the operation.
The following year, Changi approached the government to renegotiate the contract. The negotiation ended in 2024, and the definitive terms of the renegotiation were approved in June by the Federal Audit Court (TCU). Anac participated in the preparation.
The increase in the number of passengers on Galeão was one of the elements defended by the concessionaire and was part of the negotiations.
The TCU is an auxiliary body of the Legislative Branch and acts in external control of the federal government’s public accounts.
Anac and the Ministry of Ports state that negotiations to increase movement at Santos Dumont are conducted in a transparent manner and with dialogue, including with airlines.
Passenger flow
Data from Infraero and the concessionaire RioGaleão indicate that, after the imposition of the ceiling at Santos Dumont, the annual number of passengers at the airport fell by almost half, from 10.9 million to 5.7 million.
At Galeão, in the same period, movement more than doubled, going from 6.8 million to 16.1 million. As a result, the total number of passengers at Rio’s airports grew by 23%, from 17.7 million in 2023 to 21.8 million in 2025.
The renegotiation was signed on September 25 and also provides for an assisted sale. The process is like a new auction, in which other companies can bid. However, it is carried out directly, that is, without having to renationalize the airport to grant it again.
The assisted sale of Galeão is scheduled for March 30, 2026 and a minimum bid of R$932 million is stipulated to obtain the right to explore the airport. Furthermore, it is agreed that Infraero will sell its entire stake (49% of the airport) to the winning group.
