Brazil seeks private investment for regional airports
A new government initiative aims to attract US$820 million in private investment to modernize up to 100 small and medium airports, offering rare opportunities in a consolidated sector.
Brazil's ports and airports ministry has launched a public consultation for a program designed to channel up to 5 billion reais (US$820 million) of private investment into regional airport development through concessions.
The initiative, called AmpliAR, targets the construction and modernization of up to 100 small and medium-sized airports, with auctions expected to take place in the first half of 2024. The program represents a rare opening in Brazil's highly consolidated airport sector.
"The airport sector in Brazil is already quite mature. The only major airport that does not have a concession contract in force is Santos Dumont [in Rio de Janeiro]. The other opportunities in the sector are mainly related to regional airports, which are smaller," says Bruno Werneck, infrastructure lawyer and partner at Tauil & Chequer Advogados, a Brazilian law firm associated with global firm Mayer Brown.
The landscape of Brazilian airport operations has transformed significantly since 2011, when concession auctions began transitioning facilities away from federal airport authority Infraero's administration. Today, private sector operators control more than 90% of the segment, with prominent players including local firms CCR, Socicam, Invepar and XP, alongside international operators Aena Desarrollo, Vinci Airports, Inframérica, Fraport and Flughafen Zürich.
Under the new program, the ministry has structured the terminals into 11 regional blocks, with priority given to areas demonstrating more urgent development needs. The initial phase will focus on 50 airports located in the Amazon, north and northeast regions.