Rio de Janeiro – The minister of Defence of Brazil, Nelson Jobim, believes that in 2009 it should be possible to adopt a model for concession of public airports in Brazil to private organisations. The first airports to be tendered should be Galeão, in Rio de Janeiro, and Viracopos, in Campinas (in the interior of São Paulo).
"We hope that next year we may have conditions to release the call to tender [for Viracopos and Galeão] and to have the matter completed," said the Minister last week, on board aircraft carrier São Paulo, where he participated in a ceremony for transfer of posts of the Rio de Janeiro Naval Operations and Naval Director-General.
The choice of airports was a political decision by president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, according to Jobim. In the case of Viracopos, the idea is to unburden the air traffic in Guarulhos and Congonhas, both in São Paulo. With regard to Galeão, the plan is to guarantee good infrastructure, as Brazil is going to host the 2014 World Cup and Rio is running to host the 2016 Olympics.
The minister also stated that the president of the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES), Luciano Coutinho, should be the coordinator of studies of models for concession and replacement of employees at the Brazilian Airport Infrastructure Company (Infraero), which currently operates services.
Jobim also said that a model for concession for a new airport in São Paulo should also be inaugurated, but the date has not yet been defined. He also mentioned a plan to create an express train connecting Guarulhos, Congonhas and Viracopos.
Last week Jobim said that Lula authorized an analysis about the concession of two airports (Galeão and Viracopos) and guaranteed that the works should not be halted.
*Translated by Mark Ament
