The Minister of the Civil Aviation Secretariat (SAC), Eliseu Padilha, announced yesterday that the government will grant to the private sector all of Infraero's profitable airports until 2018. Only three terminals will be excluded from the list: Congonhas (SP), Santos Dumont (RJ) and Manaus (AM). Already considering these exceptions, nine airports can be privatized during the second term of President Dilma Rousseff.
“Where the concession is not feasible, the airports will be operated by Infraero”, said the minister, at an event organized by the Brazilian Association of Airlines (Abear). He discarded the model of public-private partnerships (PPPs), with payment of consideration by the Union, for terminals whose revenues do not fully cover their expenses. “Sponsored concessions are off the government's radar,” he pointed out.
In the first batch of new concessions, according to Padilha, are the three airports already announced: Porto Alegre (RS), Florianópolis (SC) and Salvador (BA). The hammer could be beaten today, in a meeting called by Dilma, at the Planalto Palace. He discarded the inclusion of Vitória (ES) in the list. Within six to eight months, according to the minister, feasibility studies will be launched for another round of privatizations. No specific terminal was mentioned, but Valor found that Fortaleza (CE), Recife (PE) and Curitiba (PR) are potential candidates. “By 2018, we should have auctioned the airports with the possibility of concession without sponsorship.”
Without going into detail about the rules for the participation of current airport concessionaires in future auctions, Padilha indicated that they could enter the dispute, but raised the possibility that there would be geographical restrictions on operators within a radius of distance.
This means, for example, that perhaps Florianópolis and Porto Alegre cannot be in the hands of the same consortium. There is also the hypothesis that Inframérica, operator of the airport of São Gonçalo do Amarante (RN), is prevented from competing in Salvador.
In the two previous rounds of privatizations, Dilma vetoed the possibility that the same operator would assume the management of more than one large airport Guarulhos, Viracopos, Brasília, Galeão and Confins. According to sources that follow the matter closely, this restriction should be removed in the next concessions because competition in the sector has already been well consolidated.
For minister Padilha, although the main airports in the country have already been granted, there will be no lack of interest
of the private sector in future auctions. “We've had a number of enthusiastic players,” he said. According to him, the three airports excluded from the list Congonhas, Santos Dumont and Manaus are crucial for Infraero's long-term financial sustainability.
Padilha reiterated that the new airport concessions must be preceded or accompanied by the restructuring of Infraero. This reform should create three subsidiaries: Infraero Serviços, Infraero Participações and Infraero Navegação Aérea.
The first will be responsible for providing services at the holding's own terminals, at regional airports and participating in tenders abroad. The second will bring together the state-owned company's shareholdings (49% so far) in airports already granted. The third will segregate the air navigation structure, such as traffic control towers.
In the next concessions, according to Padilha, the government will seek to reduce, from 400 to 360 days, the average time between the conclusion of the economic feasibility studies and the entry of the winning consortia in the auctions at the privatized airports.
Source: Valor Econômico
By Daniel Rittner
