In the midst of a pandemic, MInfra promoted the largest auction in the national airline sector; and, with signed contracts, unlocked private investments in concessioned terminals. Resources from the National Civil Aviation Fund made it possible to complete improvements at 12 airfields
Throughout 2021, the air sector it also went through instabilities and turbulence resulting from the health crisis triggered by the new coronavirus.
But the measures adopted by the Federal Government, in permanent dialogue with operators and workers in the segment, helped national civil aviation to overcome the challenges of the period and reach December with encouraging indices: this month the recovery journey restored 100% of the movement ed by the domestic market in the pre-pandemic phase.
To get there, after postponing the collection of air navigation fees and postponing the payment of grants, without charging fines, the Ministry of Infrastructure (MInfra) proposed measures to reduce bureaucracy in the sector – the keynote of the Simple Flight Program, expected to be processed in the National Congress from 2022 –; extended reimbursement obligations by airlines in the event of trip cancellations and invested public funds to remodel and equip regional airports, taking advantage of periods of low demand: 13 works were concluded this year.
Biggest Auction in History The moment was challenging, but also daring. The Federal Government decided to fully maintain the schedule for transferring Infrastructure assets to the private sector: the only country in the world to make this bet.
Result: in 2021, the biggest auction in the history of Brazilian aviation took place, with the offer of 22 airports in the South, North, Midwest and Northeast regions.
The g of the contracts with the winners of the event – CCR Group for the South and Central blocks, and Vinci in the North Block – took place in the second half, ensuring R$ 6,13 billion in private investments to improve the level of services in each of the 22 terminals auctioned in the 6th round of airport concessions.
“Perhaps in the most difficult moment in the history of the sector, we managed to hold a very successful auction, raising more than R$ 6 billion in investments. It was the largest auction in of number of airports in the history of Brazil, with the presence of global, North American, European, South American and Brazilian players. So, in fact, this brought good air and good news for our aviation as a whole”, commemorates the National Secretary of Civil Aviation, Ronei Glanzmann.
He observes that in 2022 Brazil will reach the mark of 50 air terminals granted to the private initiative: the process of the 7th round has already been forwarded to the Federal Court of s (TCU), which allows maintaining the timetable for publishing the notice and auctioning the last 16 airports still managed by Infraero in the first half of 2022.
“We believe that the auction will be highly demanded, very competitive, and the expectation is for more than BRL 8 billion in contracted investments. We will have a lot of works going on and the airline sector will resume with full force next year”, bet.
Well-appointed public resources – Despite being limited, even more so in a year of restriction, the public budget was well invested in 2021 in the modernization of airport infrastructure. Through the National Secretariat of Civil Aviation (SAC) and Infraero, MInfra invested R$ 462.656.575,26 to complete the modernization of 12 airfields. The largest regional aviation project in the country was fully executed during the current management.
The Regional Airport of Maringá (PR) underwent works that used high technology to double its operational capacity, allowing international freighters to land and take off and simultaneously move up to eight aircraft. The work was completed this year.
After expansion, the runway was 2.380 meters long, making it the second largest in the state. In all, the transformation relied on R$ 76,6 million in public resources, from the National Civil Aviation Fund (Fnac), and will help to boost the economy of Paraná, benefiting more than 1 million residents of the region for the next 30 years.
It was the first work delivered using the BIM [Building Information Modeling] methodology, which guarantees efficiency, speed and lower cost in the work. It was applied in all stages of restructuring the landing and takeoff runway and the aircraft yard at the Maringá terminal, which is taking place in 19 other projects coordinated by SAC/MInfra, in 14 Brazilian states: 50% of the total resources of the Fnac intended for regional aviation are already applied in projects that adopt BIM.
During 2021, Fnac's resources were fundamental to equip and finance interventions in airfields from north to south of the country, allowing, among other improvements, to more than double the area of the enger terminal at Campo Grande Airport, whose processing went from 2,5 million to 4,5 million s/year.
The airports of Navegantes (SC), Uberlândia (MG) and Capital do Café (in Cacoal/RO) also have new enger terminals. The airports at Foz do Iguaçu (PR), Campo Grande, Belém (PA), Maringá, Coxim (MS), Bonito (MS), Vale do Aço ( Ipatinga/MG) and Estirão do Ecuador (AM), where the work is essential to increase the presence of the Armed Forces in the Amazon Region, especially on the border of Brazil with Peru and Colombia.
Privatization via PPI – But investments in the internalization of aviation do not occur only with the limited public budget. For the first time, the privatization of regional airports will be carried out through a public-private partnership (PPP).
Approved this year, the initiative provides for the concession of eight airports in Amazonas: Parintins, Carauari, Coari, Eirunepé, São Gabriel da Cachoeira, Barcelos, Lábrea and Maués.
Investments in the order of R$ 380 million are foreseen. The studies that will the unprecedented PPI are in progress. The expectation is that, throughout 2022, the process will undergo a public hearing and proceed to TCU analysis, so that the privatization will be carried out in early 2023.
Digital Transformation – In September, after more than 6 engers from seven terminals in the country tested the 100% digital biometric facial boarding, the testing phase with travelers of the Embarque + Seguro program was concluded.
In the last two months of the year, it was the turn of the crew to evaluate the technological solution in Congonhas (SP) and Santos Dumont (RJ). The expectation is that the air shuttle between the two airports, the first in the world to test the use of end-to-end biometrics, will be the first in the country to adopt this technology definitively, as of the first half of 2022.
“We were able to make progress on very strategic issues for the sector, such as facial recognition at our airports, which guarantees greater security for engers; fluidity at airports and efficiency for the sector as a whole. With this, we truly place Brazil among the best in the world in of technology in the aviation sector”, says secretary Ronei Glanzmann.
“We have a very promising high season right now. We are resuming 100% of the domestic market and working to also resume the international market, at a slower pace due to health reasons. But the homework was done, the balance is positive, although the year was very challenging. We imagine a very promising summer and a great year in 2022”, concludes.
Street: Ministry of Infrastructure
