São Paulo – The National Civil Aviation Agency (Anac) should promote the auction for concession of São Gonçalo do Amarante Airport, close to Rio Grande do Norte state capital Natal, no Monday (22). The tender may serve as a model for future processes involving the São Paulo International Airport, in Guarulhos, as well as those of Rio de Janeiro (Galeão) and Campinas (Viracopos).
The opening of the envelopes will take place at the São Paulo Stock Exchange (Bovespa). According to Anac, none of the companies participating had documents denied, that is, in thesis, all may compete. The agency did not, however, disclose how many proposals were presented, the number of companies involved, or their nationalities. The process is open to foreign capital without any limit to participation, according to the Anac.
The minister of the Secretariat of Civil Aviation, Wagner Bittencourt, said only, according to de an article on site G1, that there has been "more than one interested party”. According to the article published, at least two proposals have been presented.
The starting bid for the auction is 51.7 million Brazilian reals (US$ 32.5 million), to be paid to the government as a grant. The procedure serves as a model for others, as it is the first promoted by the Federal Government. The calls to tender for Guarulhos, Galeão and Viracopos, three of the busiest airports in Brazil, should be published late this year.
There is, however, a great difference between the development in Rio Grande do Norte and other airports. The first is not yet in existence and, except for the runway, built by the government, needs to be erected from scratch. The others are ancient airports, which need expansion. Today, the management of all airports is in the hands of the Brazilian Airport Infrastructure Company (Infraero).
Anac hopes that the company or consortium winning may invest at least 650 million reals in the project. The expected construction time is 36 months. That, in itself, is a problem: the works should be complete for the 2014 World Cup, as Natal will be one of the host cities, but, even if works started today, there would not be sufficient time, as the World Cup should take place between June and July.
The agency, however, bets “that it will be of interest to the winning company to deliver the airport before the World Cup.”
The auction should have taken place in July, but the Anac informs that it decided to postpone it due to "inquiries made by those interested during the Public Session for Clarification promoted in June and to formal statements made at the Special Committee for Tendering” and so that “all those interested would have sufficient time to make the necessary adaptation to their proposals”.
The span for concessions should be 28 years, three for construction and 25 for operation, with possible extension for another five. The expected passenger throughput is three million in 2014, 4.7 million in 2020 and 7.9 million in 2030.
*Translated by Mark Ament
