Rio’s small city airport is bursting at the seams while large international Galeão sinks into slumber

By Raoni Alves

The two most important airports in Rio de Janeiro should work together to expand the city’s capacity to receive flights, attract new investments and increase revenues for the city and the state.

However, this is not the reality at Galeão and Santos Dumont airports.

While the largest of them, the Tom Jobim International Airport, Galeão, on Ilha do Governador, has been losing many passengers every year, Santos Dumont Airport, in the center, is operating at the limit of its capacity and causing delays and long lines.

Passenger traffic at Galeão has dropped by about 65% in the last eight years.

The numbers indicate losses for Rio de Janeiro.

In 2014, the first year of Galeão’s private administration, the total number of passengers embarking and disembarking at the airport reached 17 million.

In 2022, the company registered 5.9 million passengers at the airport.

On the other hand, with more than 10 million passengers in 2022, Santos Dumont has been experiencing problems such as long lines, lack of punctuality, and flight cancellations, which also generate losses and discomfort for those who use the terminal.

According to the director of FGV Transportes, Marcus Quintella, passengers who used to arrive in Rio through Galeão have not started arriving through Santos Dumont.

That is, the difference of more than 11 million people indicates the strong economic loss that has affected the state and city of Rio.

“Santos Dumont is returning to carry practically the same amount of passengers as before the pandemic, while Galeão went from 17 million passengers there and has now dropped to 3 or 4 million.”

“In other words, this number that disappeared from Galeão certainly did not go to Santos Dumont.”

“This is due to the economic situation. It is a loss for the city of Rio de Janeiro and the state, no doubt about it,” commented Quintella.

According to specialists, aviation is fundamental for tourism but also very important for the industry.

When an airport like Galeão is empty or operates below its full capacity, the state loses money.

“An equipment like Galeão being underutilized to the extent that it is today is a huge waste and is terrible from the point of view of the city, the Metropolitan Region, and the state,” said Inter B economist Cláudio Frischtak.

In 2022, a study released by Firjan showed that there needs to be better distribution and coordination of domestic flights between Galeão and Santos Dumont, which could inject R$4.5 billion into the state’s economy annually.

“Rio de Janeiro’s International Airport is good for tourism, it is good for commerce, and is good for industries. It is fundamental for this,” added Júlio Talon, then-president-director of Firjan.

29% OF FLIGHTS DELAYED IN 2023

The imbalance in numbers between the two airports is even more serious when comparing Galeão’s maximum capacity, which can receive up to 37 million passengers per year, with Santos Dumont’s operating limit, which is 15.3 million.

Operating close to its maximum capacity, Santos Dumont also generates problems at the other end of the Rio-São Paulo air bridge.

According to the Airhelp website, 29% of the flights on the main route operated at the downtown Rio airport left with delays of more than 15 minutes in the first two months of this year.

By comparison, in the same period in 2022, only 6.9% of flights leaving Santos Dumont for Congonhas Airport in São Paulo were delayed.

MAXIMUM CAPACITY CAUSES CONTROVERSY

The maximum passenger capacity per year at Santos Dumont has also become controversial.

Last year, Infraero announced that the airport could handle up to 9.9 million passengers annually.

However, the federal agency responsible for managing Brazilian airports now considers Santos Dumont’s annual capacity up to 15.3 million.

According to Infraero, the maximum capacity has not changed.

In a note, the public company explained that the higher number considers 12 peak hours per day at Santos Dumont Airport and that the capacity of 9.9 million passengers per year is relative to the low demand of 8 peak hours per day.

Still, according to Infraero, they started to publish on the website the maximum capacity with high demand (15.3 million and no longer the 9.9 million).

Regarding flight delays, Infraero said the punctuality of the operation is subject to adverse events, such as weather conditions, delays in the origin, interruptions, or congestion of the access roads to the airport, among other factors.

EXPERTS DEFEND PRIVATIZATION

Since 2014, Galeão has been managed by Changi, a Thai company that won the bid to take care of the airport for 25 years.

However, last year, the concessionaire expressed interest in abandoning the contract.

The Federal Government has been trying to negotiate with the company and plans a new bidding process for Galeão.

The impasse also occurs concerning the possibility of privatizing Santos Dumont.

During former President Jair Bolsonaro’s administration, the idea was to sell Santos Dumont along with three other terminals: Jacarepaguá (RJ); Montes Claros (MG); Uberlândia (MG); and Uberaba (MG).

After strong pressure, the previous government suspended the Santos Dumont concession notice.

Last month, Minister Márcio França announced that the terminal would remain under Infraero’s administration.

The decision did not please authorities and specialists.

The solution for Mayor Eduardo Paes is to bid Santos Dumont with Galeão.

“Santos Dumont has to be conceded. It has to be conceded together with Galeão Airport.”

“Santos Dumont can’t be Infraero’s only revenue to support all the airports in Brazil,” said the Rio mayor.

The head of the municipal executive promised to mobilize other politicians to pressure the federal government towards a new bid notice.

“The politicians of Rio de Janeiro will mobilize; we will put pressure.”

“I am sure President Lula wants to solve this problem (…) That we have a definitive decision for Galeão, which includes Santos Dumont Airport necessarily,” commented Eduardo Paes.

Marcus Quintella, director of FGV Transportes, also bets that the best solution is privatization. According to him, Santos Dumont needs new investments.

“Santos Dumont is an airport that needs investment, especially to increase its departure capacity.”

“Santos Dumont and Congonhas airport were considered the crown jewels.”

“One has already been privatized, and Santos Dumont has remained.”

“The modeling (bidding) of Santos Dumont can or cannot be along with Galeão.”

“This is not mandatory. But it needs to be attractive to investors,” commented Marcus Quintella.

The expert also reinforced the need to broaden the debate about airport privatization by holding public hearings.

“Santos Dumont is a surplus, but not privatizing it goes against everything that has been happening in Brazil regarding the evolution of privatizations.”

“I understand that Santos Dumont needs to follow the privatization process, together or not.”

“We will listen to everyone involved; we will hold a public hearing with everyone interested and seek the best situation for the state of Rio de Janeiro,” added the director of FGV Transportes.

Another specialist who defends the privatization of Santos Dumont is the economist from Inter B, Cláudio Frischtak.

For him, the best model is bidding Rio’s two airports together.

“The best model is to relicense the two airports jointly to the same operator.”

“Precisely because of the short distance, because of the importance of making Galeão more dynamic and not overloading Santos Dumont,” commented the Inter B economist.

MAYOR AND MINISTER WANT A SOLUTION

Facing the problems, the government authorities hope to solve the imbalance causing Galeão to empty and Santos Dumont to overcrowd.

Mayor Eduardo Paes pointed out that part of the problem is the migration of flights from Galeão to Santos Dumont.

Paes defended the privatization of the terminal in downtown Rio and a greater balance in the distribution of flights.

“When you take all the domestic flights, connecting flights from Galeão, and take them to Santos Dumont, filling Santos Dumont, naturally the international companies, which connect Rio to the world, lose interest in coming to Galeão airport.”

“Rio loses twice the international connections and flights that could come to our city”, Paes commented.

The situation worries Márcio França, Minister of Ports and Airports of Brazil.

According to him, the federal government will take measures to make Galeão a reference in Brazil again.

“The orientation of President Lula and the new government is that we have many more passengers all over Brazil.”

“And Galeão is very important. It is central to Rio de Janeiro and Brazil.”

“It has already been an important reference in Brazil, and it will be again,” commented Márcio França.

The government’s idea is to deal with the problem next April 24, when a meeting is scheduled at the National Civil Aviation Secretariat with the presence of Minister Márcio França, Governor Cláudio Castro, and Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes.

At the meeting, the authorities should discuss possible solutions to increase the number of passengers at Galeão.

With information from g1