Congonhas Airport should have a new passenger terminal by 2028, says concessionaire| Sao Paulo

Congonhas Airport, in the southern region of Sao Paulo, is supposed to get a new passenger terminal in the coming years, according to Spanish company Aena, which will take over the operation of the site for the next 30 years on October 17.

The current arrival hall of one of the busiest airports in Latin America has an area of ​​35,000 square metres, but with the change the total area should be about 80,000 square metres.

The new area should be connected to the 17-Euro metro line. However, the airport is tarmac, which may be a barrier to movement.

“We also have to talk about the historical heritage of the city of São Paulo to see what uses we can put in this station. We are focusing more on the arrivals area and corporate offices,” said Santiago Llos, CEO of Aena Brasil.

The aim of the changes is to improve the airport’s space and capacity for people, as there are frequent complaints about the lack of check-in counters and little space for passengers.

The project must be handed over to the National Civil Aviation Agency (Anac) by December, and operational by 2028.

City Hall said changes to the station and the surrounding area should be analysed.

The site will also undergo other modifications, such as reactivating the air corridors and expanding the airport apron.

Immediate changes will be:

• Improving the airport interface
• Bathroom renovation
• – Expanding the departure lounges where passengers must take the bus to board the plane
• – Expanding the roads leading to the airport

Concession company Aena expects an increased flow of 22 million passengers annually until the end of the concession.