Manaus airport to be privatized by October 2020, says minister

Minister Tarcísio Freitas says Manaus Airport will be hub of the Northern region.

O International Airport Eduardo Gomes should be privatized by October 2020. The idea is to turn it into a hub for the North, the main concentrating center of flights in the region. The information was confirmed by the Minister of Infrastructure Tarcísio Freitas, who was in Manaus for the inauguration of the container ship Polares, of Log-In Logística.

Manaus Airport is part of a list with two dozen terminals that the government intends to auction next year. "In January we will launch the public consultation, then we will send the report to TCU and the auction should be held in October," said Freitas.

According to the minister, the qualified consortiums will have to present the projects, surveys, investigations and technical studies to support the modeling of the airport concessions. In addition, the companies will have to make investments in the terminals.

Currently, the airport is under the responsibility of the Brazilian Airport Infrastructure Company (Infraero), which carried out a renovation of R$ 27 million last year.

Cabotage

Minister Tarcísio Freitas emphasized the reinforcement that coastal shipping - navigation along the Brazilian coast - will have with the inauguration of the container ship Polaris, from Log-In Logística. The ship was built by the Chinese shipyard CSSC Guangzhou WenchongShipyard and is now one of the largest in operation in the country. The arrival of the vessel, according to the minister, represents the resumption of growth of cabotage in Brazil, which has special significance for the Manaus Free Trade Zone. Many companies in the Manaus Industrial Complex rely on this modal to take their products to the various markets in the country.

Expanded fleet

The Log-In Polaris ship will join the company's fleet, which currently has four own container ships and two chartered ones. The Log-In Polaris is able to carry 600 refrigerated containers, which will increase the company's capacity for this type of cargo, making it an option to Manaus for the Amazon region.

"Coming to the launch of this ship, with this size, in Manaus, means betting on cabotage. We will soon launch the BR do Mar program, which is being structured by the National Secretariat of Ports and Waterway Transport. This event breathes the vocation of the Brazilian naval industry", said the minister Tarcísio Freitas.

Source: A Crítica