Brazil’s federal government started privatizing airports, once a legal monopoly, in 2011. São Paulo, the country’s richest state, not only had its own airline—the extinct VASP, on whose grave LABACE dances annually—but its own string of airports, which it began privatizing in 2017. That same year in July, the Voa SP consortium took over the operation of five airports, the important general aviation fields in Jundiaí and Campo dos Amarais in Campinas, another in Bragança Paulista, and two seaside airports in Ubatuba and Itanhaém.
Another 22 airports in two blocks of eleven were auctioned in 2021, with the Voa SP consortium—part of the same Rede Voa group—winning the Southeast block and control passing this April. These include the Sorocaba general aviation airport, which also has a strong MRO presence, and São Carlos airport, where LATAM performs most of its airliner maintenance, as well as nine others.
While some of the airports have commercial passenger service, most traffic is general and business aviation, but all serve to meet the needs of agribusiness and tourism in a state that is about half the size of Spain with nearly the same population. Rede Voa immediately set about solving the problems, some urgent, that the state had been unable to address.
Infrastructure and Operations teams visited each of the 16 airports to identify any lack of compliance with Brazilian airport and environmental legislation standards, said Rede Voa president Marcel Moure. With follow-up teams from administration, finance, and commercial, and an evaluation of each airport’s services, the company determined initial emergency investments to bring operating conditions and flight safety to the standards acceptable in the Brazilian legal system. “Rede Voa, in agreement with the State of São Paulo through [state transport agency] ARTESP, and in line with the Brazilian civil aviation regulations of ANAC, started the execution of the emergency plan even before the approval of the [transition plan]”, he said.
Among the R$30 million ($6.3 million) invested in the initial five airports was money for improvements in paving, expansion and modernization of passenger terminals, installation of air navigation equipment such as PAPI, runway and patio signage, electrical maintenance, environmental studies and adaptations, and improvement of airport security.
Throughout the network asphalt will be restored as needed on access roads, taxiways, and runways; horizontal signaling refreshed; and recovery and maintenance done on electrical systems and generators, night illumination, windsocks, and rotating beacons.
“At the beginning of the first year of investments, we are going to carry out the second stage of the retrofit of the passenger terminal at Ribeirão Preto Airport; expansion of the Marília passenger terminal; the construction of the Guaratinguetá passenger terminal, together with the expansion of the aircraft yard and access taxiways; the completion of the internationalization process at Sorocaba Airport and the implementation of definitive customs at São Carlos Airport," Moure said. "[This is] in addition to the definitive obtaining of the operational certification of Ribeirão Airport in accordance with ANAC regulations, implementation of PAPI at the São Carlos, Araraquara and Franca airports...Rede Voa is also in the process of implementing traffic and telecommunication service stations at Franca and Araraquara airports to promote commercial aviation."
The transition has not been without friction or criticism from users long accustomed to public administration, and the cost of investments must be borne by someone. Moure contends Voa will bring better quality service. He notes that Voa SP carried out a bid among fuel distributors, achieving market-competitive prices and product quality for the first five airports, and replicated the model for Voa SE. Jet-A and avgas are now available at all 16 airfields, benefiting all airport segments. “In addition to the right to operate the fuel filling stations," he said, "the competing distributors offered an investment package for the airports, including the promotion of renewable energies, payment facilities, and service rules.”
The public administrators of the upstate airports were always concerned with recreational flying, as aeroclubs and other non-profit or low-cost organizations occupy spaces on the airport site, for which there is now increasing competition from other segments. Moure said that Rede Voa achieved a balance with recreational flying, readjusting operating contracts based on ANAC regulations RBAC 139 and RBAC 141. Starting in 2025 all former aeroclubs will need to be licensed as Civil Aviation Instruction Centers and adapt to the rules governing existing aviation schools.
Moure ended by recalling the social importance of each of its 16 airports. “Our intention is to bring development beyond the airport site, expanding commercial activities, creating jobs, and improving the collection of taxes on services in the municipalities, with an opportunity for development for society as a whole.”