In a public tender carried out by the Brazilian government, Zürich Airport won the concession for Natal International Airport (NAT), in the northeast of the country, on Friday 19 May.
In this way, the air terminal, which in 2022 received almost 2.3 million passengers, will join the other three that the company already manages in Brazil: it currently holds majority stakes in the airports of Florianópolis (FLN), Vitória (VIX) and Macaé (MEA), all of them in the southeast.
See also: Aena signs the concession contract for Congonhas and ten other airports in Brazil
Zürich Airport to manage Natal International Airport for thirty years
Following the signing of the concession contract, expected by the end of this year, Zürich Airport will manage the entirety of Natal International Airport for a period of thirty years.
The company is expected to assume full operational responsibility at the beginning of 2024 and, from the fifth anniversary of the signing of the concession contract, to pay a yearly revenue-based fee.
According to the airport operator in a press release, no expansion investments will be made during this period, but maintenance and modernisation work will be carried out. Currently, the terminal has the capacity to receive up to 6.5 million passengers a year.
The Swiss company was awarded the operation of the airport after offering 320 million reais (about 65 million dollars). It competed only with Brazilian investment bank XP Asset, and initially bid 250 million reais, when the minimum bid had been set at 226.9 million.
«With the new and existing concessions, Zürich Airport will participate in the growth of the Brazilian aviation market and will implement its best practices developed in Switzerland while maintaining local values», the company said. Inframérica, which retains the management rights, will be in charge of the airport until the transfer is completed.
