Brazilian stakeholders are finalizing plans to move forward with offering a portion of the concession contract for Rio de Janeiro's Galeão international airport.
Galeão is currently operated by RioGaleão, a concessionaire of which Singapore's Changi Airport Group owns 51% and Brazilian state-run firm Infraero the remaining 49%.
Unlike previous airport concessions, which have typically been dominated by private sector companies and involved offering contracts in their entirety, the plan for the Galeão airport in Rio is to auction Infraero's stake in the concession while keeping Changi involved in the operation, according to a government official who spoke to BNamericas on condition of anonymity.
The plan is being negotiated by the federal government, the country’s audit court (TCU) and Changi. The government aims to hold and auction to sell Infraero's stake in the concession, which could bring in as much as 1bn reais (US$165mn), the source added.
This proposed auction, expected to take place in the coming months, comes at a challenging time for the airport.
In 2022, RioGaleão announced its intention to return the concession due to declining passenger numbers, despite the contract being valid until 2039. However, the concessionaire later reversed its decision after the federal government implemented measures to boost passenger traffic at the airport.
As part of these efforts, the government restricted operations at Santos Dumont airport, which is located just 20km from Galeão, in an attempt to address the competition for passengers between the two airports.
