Manaus in the north of Brazil joins VINCI Airports group

VINCI Airports has assumed responsibility for the operation, development and sustainable growth of Manaus International Airport in Brazil.

It will be joined by Porto Velho, Rio Branco, Boa Vista, Cruzeiro do Sul, Tabatinga and Téfé next month as the global airport operator commences its 30 year concession to operate and grow all seven airports located in the north of the country.

Considered the gateways to the Amazon region and neighbouring Brazilian states, the airports welcomed seven million passengers between them in 2019, the bulk of them at Manaus, which handled three million visitors.

In addition to ensuring the operations, maintenance and modernisation of terminals and runways, VINCI Airports has agreed to transform the airports into “eco-efficient infrastructures”.

This is VINCI Airports terminology for having a net-zero emissions goal, which includes a commitment to opening photovoltaic farms, improved waste and water management,  the establishment of biodiversity laboratories, and carbon sinks projects with local NGOs.

To do this, VINCI Airports says that it will build on the successful environmental policy it has been successfully implementing since 2018 at Salvador Bahia airport in North East Brazil.

The global airport operator also intends to support Brazil’s post-pandemic economic recovery, by developing the passenger traffic and the cargo activity at Manaus, the third largest cargo airport in Brazil.

Pillar of the economic and community development of the Amazon region, Manaus plays a key role in the country’s economy, in particular for the high growth electronics industry.

The new additions mean that VINCI’s global network now extends to 53 airports across the world, including eight in Brazil where it now employs nearly 500 staff.

Nicolas Notebaert, CEO of VINCI Concessions and president of VINCI Airports, notes: “We are proud to be the new operator of Manaus airport and six other new airports in the northern block [in Brazil].

“In this region of Brazil, largely made up of forests and rivers, air transport is essential for the mobility of people and the supply chain. We will mobilise our expertise from an operational and environmental standpoint, with a view to sustainable development.

“We are renewing our partnership with Brazil to make this concession a new success, building on the very positive results we have obtained in Salvador de Bahia”.