VINCI Airports delivered a works program designed to extend and upgrade the airport. The handover ceremony was attended by Tarcísio Freitas, Minister of Infrastructure of the Federative Republic of Brazil; José Ricardo Botelho, director-president of Agencia Nacional de Aviação Civil, the Brazilian civil aviation authority; Rui Costa, Governor of the State of Bahia; Antônio Carlos Magalhães Neto, mayor of Salvador; and Nicolas Notebaert, chief executive officer of VINCI Concessions and President of VINCI Airports.
The works, which included a terminal extension and construction of a new jetty with six boarding gates, increase the airport's capacity from 10 to 15 million passengers per year. The program also included refurbishment of the runways, construction of additional airline ticket counters and rearrangement of check-in counters to boost operational performance. Lastly, a new baggage handling system, an expanded shopping area and new services, including free broadband WiFi, were introduced to significantly improve the passenger experience.
The environment was a central focus of the project. VINCI Airports designed and implemented concrete initiatives including construction of a wastewater treatment plant to re-use water on site, a waste sorting center and a solar farm.
The program amounted to an investment of €160 million. The works were carried out in synergy with VINCI Energies and completed in just 18 months. Throughout the project, works were phased to accommodate optimum management of passenger flows and aircraft movements and thus maintain airport activity.
Since the start of the concession, the connectivity of Salvador Bahia Airport has been steadily increasing, with the opening of eight new routes, including direct flights to Miami, Panama, Salt Island and Santiago de Chile. Over the coming two years, the airport will be further improved, with an upgrade of the food service area and the introduction of new check-in counters and boarding bridges.
Nicolas Notebaert, chief executive officer of VINCI concessions and president of VINCI Airports, said, "These modernization works have expanded the airport's potential and made the airport into an efficient and friendly gateway to the Bahia region. The particularly ambitious environmental aspects of this project are a benchmark in sustainable infrastructure transition. We commend the exemplary engagement of the airport teams and are delighted to celebrate this major milestone with them."
