Vinci Airports, which began operating the Salvador Bahia Airport concession in January 2018, has completed a works program designed to extend and upgrade the airport.
The works, which included a terminal extension and construction of a new jetty with six boarding gates, increase the Brazilian airport’s capacity from 10 million 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 such as free wi-fi were introduced.
The environment was a key focus of the project. Eco-friendly initiatives designed and implemented by Vinci Airports at Salvador Bahia as part of the concession include construction of a wastewater treatment plant to reuse water on site, a waste sorting center and a solar farm.
The program involved an investment of €160m (US$175m). The works were carried out together with Vinci Energies and completed in 18 months. Throughout the project, works were phased to accommodate optimum management of passenger flows and aircraft movements, thus maintaining airport activity.
Further improvements will be made to the airport in the next two years, including 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 it 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 are delighted to celebrate this major milestone.”