A new terminal at Brazil’s Guarulhos International Airport has been officially opened with the involvement of Airports Company South Africa (Acsa).
Acsa has had extensive involvement in the expansion, maintenance and management of the airport with Terminal 3 officially being opened by Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff on Tuesday.
The opening of the terminal formed part of Brazil’s preparations for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, which the country will host.
“After a year and nine months of construction, we are excited about the on time completion of phase 1. The delivery of the facility will go a long way in eliminating the main bottlenecks that were at the airport and increase capacity. Our involvement in projects of this scale and magnitude, while driven by the strategic desire to connect markets, has enabled the company to continue to provide world-class expertise for airport infrastructure development,” said Acsa chief executive officer Bongani Maseko.
The terminal was modelled on the modern structure of Asian and European airports with two buildings and five levels. Terminal 3 is dedicated exclusively for international flights. It features technologies and equipment that are on par with the best airports in the world. The additional two aprons at Terminal 3 can accommodate 34 aircraft.
The latest achievement follows the successful development of South Africa’s major airports in preparation for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Acsa, in partnership with INFRAERO and Invepar who jointly form GRU – the consortium that won the bid to manage the airport in 2012 – has for the second time fulfilled its commitment to have another world-class airport ready in time for the world soccer event.
Currently, Guarulhos is the largest international airport in Latin America.
“The readiness of the Gateway to Brazil is assured. This new terminal follows international standards and will become a reference point for airport infrastructure in Brazil. Acsa’s commitment to the concession, through its provision of technical skills and expertise in operational efficiencies, will come to fruition as Brazil’s busiest airport increases passenger capacity by 12 million a year in addition to the current 30 million handled by the three existing terminals,” added Maseko.
Acsa’s involvement in BRICS markets includes similar ground-breaking partnerships such as GVK for the management of Mumbai International Airport in India. In February, the GVK opened Terminal 2 that increased the airport’s annual capacity to 40 million passengers per annum with a retail footprint of 200,000 sq. ft. Terminal 2 was also built to be highly energy- and water efficient with its design reducing energy consumption by 23%.
In April, the company signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) to provide advisory and technical consultancy services on all airport-related matters in Ghana as part of its ongoing focus and expansion into emerging markets.
“Today’s opening is a demonstration of a well-founded belief in the depth, wealth of experience and expert skills that Airports Company South Africa has accumulated over the twenty years of its existence,” said Maseko. – SAnews.gov.za
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