A consortium consisting of Aeroports de Paris (ADP), VINCI Airports and Astaldi, has been selected by the Chilean Government to operate and manage Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport in Santiago, Chile.
The Nuevo Pudahuel consortium was awarded the new concession contract following a successful bid that will see 77.56% of revenue from the concession turned over to the government. The 20-year agreement involves the commercial development and operation of the existing terminal, new terminals, car parks and any future property developments.
As part of the agreement, Nuevo Pudahuel will be responsible for the renovation of the existing installations and the redesign and extension of the current terminal. It also includes designing and constructing a new 1,884,000ft2 terminal, which will increase the airport’s capacity to 30 million passengers, with potential for expansion beyond 45 million.
Augustin de Romanet, chairman and CEO of ADP, said, “Santiago de Chile ranks among Latin America’s most dynamic regional hubs, with average annual growth in passenger traffic of +10% over the past 20 years. This airport offers strong potential for growth and the creation of new routes that will enable it to become one of the main entry points to Latin America from Europe, the USA and soon, from Asia. This project, which is consistent with our international strategy, will allow ADP to make full use of its expertise as a major airport operator and its engineering know-how.”
Xavier Huillard, chairman and CEO of VINCI, said, “We have very high ambitions for Arturo Merino Benitez Airport, and this project will now spearhead our airport strategy on the South American continent. Working jointly with ADP, our task will be to assist and encourage the development of passenger traffic whilst ensuring that standards of service are raised to the highest international standards.
“This success is also that of our construction subsidiary, VINCI Construction. Together with Astaldi, they will have the responsibility of ensuring that the new 15 million capacity passenger terminal will be completed by 2020.”