The GRU Airport – São Paulo International Airport – was rated as the best airport in Brazil in the “above 15 million passengers per year” category, according to the Airports Operational Performance Report by the National Civil Aviation Secretariat (SAC) ) – research for the fourth quarter of 2017.
On a scale of 1 to 5, GRU Airport scored 4.43, based on 37 indicators that measure the actual level of passenger satisfaction. These items point from the quality of information in the panels to the offer of commercial structure for the users, passing other things such as queuing time in check in, cordiality of the employees among others. “The first place in the major airports category is the result of planning that has been done since the start of the concession in 2013 to transform GRU Airport into one of the most important airports in the world. It always has something to improve, but it is a demonstration that the Airport is on the right track, “says GRU Airport President Gustavo Figueiredo.
Over the last five years, a number of improvements have been made to ensure greater comfort and agility in loading and unloading users. At this point, the improvements in the construction of the Passenger Terminal 3 and the modernization project of Terminal 2, which added 23,000 m² of operational area (check-in, X-ray, passport control, baggage refund) and expansion of retail options, from 100 stores in 2013 to more than 270 operations in 2017.
Greater efficiency – In operational terms, GRU Airport has invested in technologies that have further improved its efficiency. This is the case, for example, of the Automated Baggage Handling System (BHS). With 5 km of treadmills, the system has computerized control that allows to track and locate the bags in real time.
Another example is the Class III Instrument Landings System (CAT III), which, in cases of altered roof and visibility, allows the least restriction of aircraft, thus reducing the need to alternate flights to other locations.
In order to allocate more quickly the resources for boarding and disembarking passengers, GRU Airport has the Airport Management System (AMS). This is the main tool of the Operational Control Center (CCO), which helps coordinate all arrivals and departures operations that take place at GRU Airport, from aircraft parking positions, boarding gates, luggage mats and queue flow . The AMS and the CCO allowed the implementation of the shared management system. With the installation of the Airport Collaborative Decision Making (A-CDM), the most important decisions are taken together, with the participation of all the agents that work at the airport. GRU Airport was the first aerodrome in Brazil to adopt the A-CDM as an operational tool.
The largest in the world – As part of the operational improvement, GRU Airport receives the two largest passenger aircraft in the world on a daily basis. Emirates’ A380 and Lufthansa’s Boeing 747-800 land and take off every day from GRU Airport, each taking about 500 passengers to Dubai and Frankfurt respectively.
About the A380, specifically, GRU Airport is the first airport in the country to receive daily operations of the largest passenger aircraft in the world. For this operation, the Concessionaire made a series of investments in the runway system. The circuit was adequate in order to guarantee the safety of the aircraft, with the landing / take-off runways and taxiing being extended.
Future – The goal now is to start the new cycle of works to reach, by the end of the concession in 2032, the capacity to receive more than 60 million passengers per year and to improve, every time, the perception of users and passengers. To reach this level, the Concessionaire plans some works in various sectors of the airport, especially a new aircraft yard, with planning for 2019, the new Pier in Terminal 3, by 2021. In addition, there are projects for other new yards until the end of the concession.
Source: Disclosure