The Brazilian Minister of Ports and Airports, Silvio Costa Filho, announced yesterday that in October, the runway at the Porto Alegre Airport will be reopened to commercial flights following the damage caused by the tragic flooding that affected the region.
“In the first phase, in October, there will be 50 daily flights, totaling 350 weekly. In December, we will have the full operation of airport activities,” stated the minister in remarks reported by our associated media in Brazil, Aeroin.
The airport’s concessionaire, the German company Fraport, will initially open only 1,700 meters of the runway, the least affected part, for operation in October, which will be mainly during the day, with flights only between 10:00 AM and 10:00 PM.
In December, the remaining 1,500 meters are expected to be reopened with no operating time restrictions. Until the full reopening of Salgado Filho, the Canoas Air Base will be available for commercial aircraft use, maintaining the bus boarding scheme at Porto Alegre International Airport.
So far, it has not been reported whether some navigation aid systems, such as the Instrument Landing System (ILS), will be operational in October or December. The investment in the renovations will be partially funded by the government, but the exact amount is yet to be defined in negotiations that Fraport (the airport’s concessionaire) is having with insurers, and it will also be reviewed by the Attorney General’s Office and the Federal Court of Accounts. Costa Filho indicated that the company requested 700 million reais (~ USD 130 million) to rebalance the contract, but subsequently, the CEO of Fraport Brasil, Andreea Pal, said that the amount is open and will be lower.
The end of the concession, with the return of administration to the state-owned Infraero or a new concession to another private administrator, is currently ruled out.
