Santiago Airport inaugurates new arrivals area at domestic terminal

This is an automated translation of the original release published in Spanish.

Statement from Nuevo Pudahuel

After 11 months of work, the Santiago Airport presented the new arrivals area at the Domestic Terminal (T1), the first work of the building's modernization plan for flights within Chile, which will be remodeled and expanded to serve 20 million passengers in 2025.

The project includes the transformation of different areas of the air terminal, the provision of two departure areas, as well as the construction of a new building, T1-A, of more than 17,000 m2, which will increase the capacity of T1 with eight gates. additional boarding, in addition to services and commercial premises.

The inauguration of this new space was led by the Minister of Public Works, Jessica López; the CEO of Nuevo Pudahuel, the concessionaire that operates the Santiago Airport, François-Regis Le Mière; and representatives of the shareholder companies of Nuevo Pudahuel: the CEO of Groupe ADP International, Fernando Echegaray, and the director of VINCI Airports, Valérie Vesque-Jeancard, as well as representatives of public services and companies that operate in the terminal.

"The hallmark of our government is to improve the quality of life of people throughout the country and this project to modernize the Domestic Terminal of the Santiago Airport will directly benefit those who travel within Chile. This facility is a space that is essential for the economy, since thousands of people pass through this area who travel to work in different parts of the country or who go to regions to activate tourism. Thus, after 11 months of work, we are inaugurating the new domestic arrivals area, which is within the framework of this final project that will benefit nearly 20 million passengers and entails a total investment of US$60mn," said the Minister of Public Works, Jessica López.

With the new domestic arrivals area, the Santiago Airport makes a large area available to passengers, which will increase baggage claim carousels from six to 12, a new official transportation area, new stores, services, more lighting and renewed signage, which is homologated with that already installed in the new International Terminal (T2), inaugurated in 2022

“The arrivals area is the meeting point for our travelers from all over Chile, who represent 60% of all airport passengers. Considering the significant increase in travel within the country, thanks to the rise of low-cost airlines, this area and the building required not only an expansion, but also a modernization of its services. This work is aligned with the commitment of Nuevo Pudahuel and its shareholder groups to provide the airport with a high-standard infrastructure, which allows providing the best experience to passengers, with all the services, businesses and technologies they require,” said the CEO of Nuevo Pudahuel, François-Regis Le Mière.

The modernization plan is being executed 30 years after the building was inaugurated, in February 1994. It will not only incorporate more area and an update of shops and services, but also an aesthetic change, information screens, bathrooms and other areas, with the aim of matching the quality of the infrastructure to that of the International Terminal.

The construction works have implied a significant challenge for all the actors that come together at the Santiago Airport, since work must be done on remodeling these spaces without interrupting the usual flow of passengers.

Next steps

With a remodeling progress of 24% to date, the second stage of remodeling began, which includes the completion of the new T1-A building. This infrastructure, which has involved an investment of US$35mn, will be inspired by the central coast of Chile and its delivery is estimated for the beginning of September 2024.

Once the entire remodeling process is completed, the National Terminal (T1) will go from having 22 boarding gates to a total of 42, thus completing a total area of more than 130,000 square meters, with the capacity to serve nearly 20mn passengers per year.

These advances are the final piece of the master plan that Nuevo Pudahuel has been executing since 2015, with an investment of more than US$1bn. This project has already completed the delivery of the new International Terminal (T2), four public buildings for Customs, SAG, Carabineros and PDI, two boulevards, more than 7,000 parking spaces, a new cargo storage center, two bus terminals and new spaces such as a theater and an events room.