The National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES) approved financial support of R$ 185 million for the Concessionaire of Natal International Airport (RN), along with two other investors from the capital markets, who contributed an additional R$ 75 million through a public offering of incentivized bonds.
Coordinated by the Bank, the total financing of R$ 260 million will be used to support the expansion, maintenance, and operation of the infrastructure of Natal International Airport, one of the main gateways for passengers and visitors to the Northeast.
The airport was Brazil’s first federal airport concession, auctioned in 2011, won by the Argentine consortium Inframerica Concessionária do Aeroporto de São Gonçalo do Amarante S.A., which returned the concession to the government in 2020, according to Aeroin.
For 30 years
Concessionária do Aeroporto Internacional de Natal S.A., a company of the Swiss group Flughafen Zurich AG, which operates other airports worldwide, including Zurich in Switzerland, as well as airports in Brazil and Latin America, will operate the Natal airport terminal for 30 years after winning the re-auction in 2023.
With a capacity for 6 million passengers per year, the airport currently operates with an annual flow of approximately 2.3 million users. In 2024, the concessionaire committed R$ 33 million for infrastructure improvements, security, commercial areas, information technologies, and passenger experience.
Improvements were also made in air conditioning, cleaning, and restoration in the terminal, as well as the installation of free and unlimited 5G. Additionally, sustainability works were carried out, increasing landfill waste diversion from 15% to 85%.
Until December 2026
The project supported by the incentivized bonds is expected to be completed by December 2026, with a total investment of R$ 274 million by the end of the concession. Attracting cargo and passenger routes, especially international ones, is part of the concessionaire’s business plan, which aims to boost tourism in Rio Grande do Norte. The development of new areas of activity is being carried out in collaboration with the state government.
“The airport will have greater operational capacity, both for cargo and passengers. The expectation is that the entire logistics of the state postal service will come here. The company also announced direct flights from Santiago to Rio Grande do Norte. Next week, BNDES technicians will begin contracting Porto Industria Verde, which can bring significant investment and usher in the green industry of the future,” announced BNDES president Aloizio Mercadante.
“It will drive the development of Rio Grande do Norte through tourism, which represents around 10% of the state’s GDP. BNDES financing is highly desirable because the airport has immense capacity. Another very successful partnership with the federal government,” celebrated the governor of Rio Grande do Norte, Fátima Bezerra.
