Corporación Quiport, the operator of Mariscal Sucre International Airport in Ecuador, is entering the next stage of its US$90m expansion and improvement plan.
Running until 2020, the masterplan involves several projects aimed at improving airport processes for the benefit of passengers and airlines.
The investment is being distributed between expansion – with US$60m being used to increase the terminal’s capacity by 18% – and improvements, with US$30m going toward modernizing and reconfiguring the existing facilities.
Andrew O’Brian, president and director general of Corporación Quiport, said, “Our main objective is to develop our connectivity by strategically working hand-in-hand with the authorities to attract more airlines and to open more destinations making us the most successful public-private partnership (PPP) model in Ecuador.
“Thanks to our work in tourist promotion, Quito and Ecuador have become a hot destination. The airport expansion will result in the arrival of many new flights. Quiport and the city are ready to receive the world.”
Álvaro Maldonado, secretary of productive development and competitiveness of the Municipality of Quito, added, “The expansion is a perfect example of a PPP. There are very few cases of this magnitude in Latin America and I want to emphasize that this is successful project with an interesting future.”
Implemented in several phases, the expansion project will deliver a 21% increase in space in the passenger processing area, including the installation of six additional self-service check-in kiosks; additional space in the immigration area (+34%) and customs areas (+13%); and the expansion of the departures area by 3,200m² (34,400ft²), including an additional boarding gate and bridge. The commercial offering will also be expanded by 11,215m² (120,000ft²).
In terms of the modernization and reconfiguration of the airport, the operator plans to relocate the information counter and retail outlets in the departures hall, and completely replace all furnishings and the hall floor.