Galeão Airport unveils new south pier with 26 new aerobridges

The Galeão International Airport in Rio de Janeiro has been given new breath to cater for the passenger demand during the Olympic and Paralympic Games. After investments in the order of R$ 2 billion, RIOGaleão – group that manages the terminal – officially opened the south pier this Thursday (19.05). It is a 100 thousand m² structure with 26 new aerobridges, with three of them able to accommodate the world's biggest aircrafts.

Galeão now has 58 aerobridges, more than any other airport in South America. In addition, the yard has increased from 500 thousand m² to 760 thousand m² and the number of check-in counters at Terminal 2 jumped from 111 to 174. A new area with lounges will provide different food service options for customers, as well as entertainment and other facilities. The airport's capacity has gone from 17 million to 30 million passengers a year.

Galeão Airport unveils new south pier with 26 new aerobridges. Picture: Roberto Castro/ brasil2016.gov.br

"Usually, we have around 40 thousand passengers a day, but on the day after the Olympics closing ceremony, we're going to have 90 thousand people come through here. It's a challenge, but I think that everyone is ready to do it in the best way possible. The Olympics without a doubt works as a shop window to attract more tourists and the airport will be ready", said RIOGaleão president Luiz Rocha. The group has managed the airport since August 2004 and is made up of Odebrecht TransPort, Changi Airports International and INFRAERO.

Investments

The delivery of the south pier highlights the end of one of the group's investment stages. The plan is to invest R$ 5.2 billion until 2039. New technologies, operations centre, air-conditioning system, accessibility, lifts and escalators: investments have been allocated to these areas in the last two years. "At the peak of construction works, the developer generated 7 thousand jobs. We worked non-stop in order for this goal to be met and now, we're able to offer an airport with quality capable of rivalling the best in the world, ready to play host to 1.5 million visitors at Games time", added Luiz Rocha.

The south pier is 1 kilometre long, it has 14 up to 100 metre conveyor belts, four lifts and six escalators. Improvements were also made in Terminal 2, including putting up 6 X-ray machines, 14 lifts and 16 escalators. The revitalisation and automating of the energy systems, as well as a new totally digital sound system will be concluded before the Olympics.

"For security reasons, a new sweep will be done in the new area this Friday (20.05) by the federal police. The first flights start leaving from the new area from Monday (23.05). Gradually, other flights will be able to use the pier too", explained Luiz Rocha. The new Welcome Centre will also be officially opened on Monday. The area is located in Terminal 2's arrival area and provides tourist information about the city and the state of Rio de Janeiro, in addition to information on transport and the airport. The project trained a trilingual team to provide visitors with services.

The opening ceremony was attended by the Minister of Sport Leonardo Picciani, Rio's Mayor Eduardo Paes, the president of the National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC) José Ricardo Botelho, the executive secretary of the Investments and Partnerships Programme (PPI) Moreira Frnaco and the Minister of Transport Maurício Quintella.

Improvements

"The improvements made to a symbol of Rio, like the Galeão Airport, is a step forward. In addition, the city now has an airport which rivals some of the best in the world, providing tourists with comfort as soon as they arrive in Rio. It' an important project, which resulted from a successful private-public partnership, showing that it is possible for public power to be a driving force for development, by attracting private investments", stated the Minister of Sport Leonardo Picciani.

For Rio's Mayor Eduardo Paes, the new Galeão has a strong relation with the Olympic Games. "The main reason for bringing the Olympic Games to a country and city is what we can leave behind for the country and city: the physical tangible legacy, which I think is becoming ever clearer in Rio. It's not just the party, but an opportunity for the city to move forward. I think that the Galeão is like the icing on the cake of Rio's legacy".

Moreira Franco stated that the modernisation and extension works done to the structure allow the airport to position itself as a central terminal in South America. "I see that Galeão is appropriately ready in terms of infrastructure and service quality, so as to set up a big distribution hub. Rio has always been the entrance not just for Brazil, but to South America. It is essential for the city for us to act as this entrance once more. This generates employment, wealth, but above all, the possibility of cultural and human co-existence", he said.

Services

The new Galeão also has also increased its infrastructure in the duty free and commercial areas. On the 23rd, Dufry will officially open an 8 thousand m² shop, with exclusive areas for local brands. There is also a total of 6 thousand m² allocated for 4 VIP rooms, which will be opened by the Olympics and operated by airlines, as well as an internationally renowned partner.

The airport now has a 24 thousand m² commercial area, with shops and restaurants. With the new operations, Riogaleão will reach over 100 new establishments in the airport, which will be opened gradually until the Games. A new currency exchange serviced will also be provided.

Also on Monday (23.05), the new Riogaleão app will be released for smartphones, with an indoor navigation service. The app may be used to follow up flights, estimate arrival time at the airport and paying for parking. All communication channels with RIOgaleão are available on the tool, including online service, information on public transport in the surrounding areas, airport shops and restaurants. Self-service kiosks will help travellers find general information.

Electronic gates will be put up in the arrival and immigration areas next month. The BCBP (bar-coded-boarding-pass) solution will activate automatic gates by bar code readers (printed or on mobile devices). Passengers will have eGates available to them, electronic gates that read passengers' passport and biometric information automatically for boarding and alighting from international flights. The integrated security system will be intensified for the Olympics, with over one thousand surveillance cameras being installed throughout the airport.

Mateus Baeta - brasil2016.gov.br