Work is progressing rapidly at the Ministry of Ports and Airports. In October 2024, the Government announced the opening of concession processes for regional airports in the country. Unanimously approved by the Federal Court of Auditors (TCU), the public policy program provides for the expansion of Guarulhos International Airport, as well as the private investment program in regional airports, called Pipar. PIPAR is basically made up of two pillars: social participation and transparency, with a focus on granting deficit-ridden regional airports to private companies, especially those that already operate the largest airports in the country. Strategic in nature, the program aims to encourage investments in infrastructure and operational safety, allowing greater integration and connectivity between regional airports and the major hubs of the Brazilian air transport system.
Brazil is the second country in the world in of the number of airports, behind only the United States. Of the 180 airports with regular operations in the country, 59 have already been privatized. According to data released by the National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC), the country closed the first half of the year with a growth of 4,4%, corresponding to approximately 56,2 million engers at the country's airports.
The country's five main airports handled 50 million engers in the first half of this year. Guarulhos Airport came out on top with 20 million engers; followed by Congonhas Airport with 10,8 million; Brasília Airport with 6,9 million; Galeão Airport with 6,5 million; and Campinas Airport with 5,7 million engers. From this perspective, it would be no different to imagine that the largest investment would be in the largest airport. Investments in Guarulhos Airport are around R$1.4 billion, focused on increasing operating capacity, improving operational safety, security, and improving the quality of services offered. The concession term for Guarulhos Airport was extended until 2037.
The Pipar program will undoubtedly become a milestone for regional aviation in the country, especially for the North and Northeast regions that lack investment in aviation development. Bahia appears in block 8, contemplated with the concession offer for the airports of Guanambi, Lençóis and Paulo Afonso. The expectation was that more airports in the state would be contemplated, given the strong tourism industry and the potential of agribusiness in the interior, which in the second quarter of the year represented more than 28% of the state's GDP, a result that positively impacts not only Bahia, but all of Brazil.
In total, the Ministry estimates that around 70 regional airports will be offered by the program throughout Brazil. As stated by the Minister of Ports and Airports, Silvio Costa Filho, the public consultation for the preparation of the concession notices begins this month and should continue until December. ANAC will now define the main guidelines for the subsequent stages of the process. The announcement of the first block of the notice is scheduled for the first half of 2025. Investments in the order of R$3.5 billion are expected for the entire PIPAR program.
It is worth ing that the Brazilian airport concession model began in 2011. Motivated by the expectation of expansion, expansion, updating of the technology used, large short and medium-term investments, in line with the gain in efficiency with the private sector, led the Federal Government to initiate the project of concession of national airports, through decree n° 7624/2011. With this in mind, the São Gonçalo do Amarante Airport (RN) was chosen to test the pilot model, which would become the first in the country to be managed by a private company.
In 2012, with the concession model approved, bidding for the most important airports began. At that time, concession contracts were signed with the airports of Guarulhos (SP), Campinas (SP) and Brasília (DF). The amount raised by the Government from the three totaled R$24,5 billion. In 2014, we had the concession of the airports of Galeão (RJ) and Confins (MG). In 2017, under the PPI model - Investment Partnerships Program, we had the airports of Florianópolis (SC), Fortaleza (CE), Porto Alegre (RS) and Salvador (BA). In 2019, 12 more were grouped into blocks to be auctioned: Northeast with 6; Central West with 4; southeast with 2. In 2021, the sixth round of concessions was held, this time, the division was recorded in 3 blocks: South Block, Central Block and North Block, corresponding to 22 airports auctioned by the National Civil Aviation Agency - ANAC. In 2022, we had the 7th round of concessions, another 15 airports were auctioned and continue to be managed by the private sector.
The concession of regional airports promises to foster regional development, ensuring integration with the country's main centers, enabling new companies to be motivated to make greater investments in these locations. The concessions, although not perfect, as much remains to be done, have proven to be a positive model, since they have made it possible to overcome some of the weaknesses of each of the auctioned airports. The constant evolution of the concession model may contribute even more to the regulation of the sector.
References
https://www.gov.br/anac/pt-br/assuntos/concessoes
https://www.gov.br/anac/pt-br/assuntos/concessoes/aeroportos-concedidos
https://www.gov.br/anac/pt-br/noticias/2021/leilao-de-22-aeroportos-da-6a-rodada
https://www.gov.br/anac/pt-br/assuntos/concessoes/andamento/setima-rodada
