Rio de Janeiro – Passenger flow should be up 10% in Brazil’s 63 public airports in December 2012 and January 2013, from December 2011 and January 2012. According to the Secretariat for Civil Aviation of the Brazilian Presidency, 25.7 million passengers are expected at the airports managed by the Brazilian Airport Infrastructure Company (Infraero).
To meet the increased demand, the National Civil Aviation Agency (Anac) and Infraero will increase the inspection and service teams available. The Anac will carry out a special monitoring operation with 290 inspectors at 12 different airports: Antonio Carlos Jobim/Galeão and Santos Dumont (Rio de Janeiro), Congonhas and Guarulhos (São Paulo), Brasília, Viracopos (Campinas), Confins (Belo Horizonte), Salvador, Fortaleza, Recife, Porto Alegre and Curitiba.
Infraero will increase by 55% the number of employees wearing yellow vests to help passengers at airports. Last year, 234 employees were available. This year, they will be 363. “We are guaranteed to have quality services to the population during the holidays,” said the secretariat’s minister Wagner Bittencourt.
At the Antonio Carlos Jobim/Galeão International Airport, the Federal Police and Federal Revenue Service will increase their personnel by 63% and 88% from last year, respectively.
In Guarulhos, an airport whose concession has been granted to private initiative, 2.8 million passengers are expected this month, up 10% from November. Federal Police personnel will be up 42% and Federal Revenue Service personnel will be up 43%. The airport administration will also provide 24% more employees to cater to the passengers.
According to Bittencourt, the airlines have committed to making additional aircraft available, carry out scheduled maintenance ahead of time, and not overbooking flights.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
