A new international terminal has opened at São Paulo’s Guarulhos International Airport (GRU) in time for the 2014 Fifa World Cup next month, according to passengerterminaltoday.com.
Terminal 3 is now ready to receive football fans attending the World Cup’s opening ceremony on 12 June, which will be held in Arena Itaquera stadium in São Paulo.
As one of Brazil’s largest infrastructure projects for the World Cup, the new Terminal 3, which commenced operations on May 11, has capacity to handle 12 million people per year in its first phase.
“Terminal 3 is a paradigm shift in airport infrastructure in the country. From now on, the passenger experience within the airport will be like no another, especially in relation to operational efficiency, service quality, comfort and safety,” said Antonio Marques, chairman of GRU.
The 192,000m² (2,070,000ft²) terminal features 90 check-in counters spread across three islands and around 100 shops including bars, cafes, restaurants, bookstores and general services.
The number of parking spaces at the airport has now increased from 3,900 to 8,000. Facilities have also been expanded to accommodate up to 108 aircraft, previously the airport could only handle 61 aircraft.
Terminal 3 is divided into two blocks of buildings with five levels. The first level is for processing passengers and includes check-in, X-rays, passport control, customs and baggage claim areas. The second level has a pier for access to aircraft and includes 20 passenger boarding bridges. The upper floors feature shops and services and the top floor (fifth) will be dedicated to the airlines’ VIP lounges and features the airport’s own First Class Lounge for passengers.
A total of eight airline carriers including Lufthansa, Swiss Airlines and TAP Portugal have now moved operations to Terminal 3, representing 25% of international flights from GRU. The remaining airlines are being moved in phases until September 2014, when 21 carriers will operate in the terminal representing 80% of the airport’s international operations.
The terminal has been designed to facilitate the quick movement of passengers and features self-service technology as well as lots of natural lighting and open spaces. In addition, the terminal has a range of environmentally friendly initiatives including indoor gardens and a rainwater system for the toilets.
With Termianl 3 now complete, works to modernize Terminals 1 and 2 will begin in October 2014 ready for the 2016 Summer Olympics Games, which are being hosted in Rio de Janeiro. The works are expected to take around 18 months to complete, with delivery slated for the first half of 2016.
-
Company DirectoryFreight RateExport RateAgency PartnershipCargo Leads