São Paulo – Terminal 3 of the São Paulo International Airport, in Guarulhos, will begin operating on May 11th, one month prior to the opening of the FIFA World Cup, whose first match will be played in São Paulo. According to information released by the concessionaire in charge of managing the airport, the 192,000 square-metre terminal will initially have an annual capacity for 12 million passengers, and will be for international flights only. In 2012, 32.8 million people on domestic and international flights have either boarded or alighted at Cumbica.
The new terminal will be interconnected with the existing Terminal 2 via conveyor belts, and will feature technologies which are currently non-existent in Brazil. Passengers will be able to check in and ship their baggage at automatic terminals. A separate system will enable baggage to be cleared up to 10 hours before boarding time.
The aircraft yard will have capacity for up to 34 units, 20 of them with boarding bridges. Some of the slots may receive some of the world’s largest aircraft: Airbus A380 and Boeing 747-8, the latter of which has been cleared to operate in Guarulhos. The new terminal will also include an internal 50-room hotel for passengers awaiting connections. Another hotel, with 350 rooms, will be inaugurated by 2016.
Upon winning the airport’s concession auction, in 2012, and taking charge of the terminal’s management, on February 15th, 2013, the GRU Airport consortium committed to making improvements. Other works due for delivery before the World Cup have been completed: a garage building and the renovation of one of the runways.
The consortium managing the Guarulhos Airport is composed of companies Invepar and ACSA. The latter also manages terminals in South Africa. The two companies hold a combined 51% stake in the airport. Of these, 90% are owned by Invepar and 10% are owned by ACSA. The consortium placed the winning bid at the concession auction by offering R$ 16.2 billion (US$ 6.6 billion), and will manage the facility until 2031. The government-owned Brazilian Airport Infrastructure Company (Infraero) retains the remaining 49% stake.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum