RIOgaleão launches revamped Tom Jobim International Airport following two billion real investment (Amended)

Brazil's revamped Tom Jobim International Airport has been given a facelift of a new pier, facilities and improved services at a cost of two billion reals (S$783 million).

RIOgaleão - a consortium which comprises Odebrecht TransPort, Changi Airports International (CAI) and Infraero - took over the administration and operation of the airport in August 2014, under a 25-year concession contract.

CAI - a unit of Changi Airport Group - owns a 20.4 per cent stake in the consortium.

Located in Rio de Janeiro, the host airport of the 2016 Olympic Games has a new pier which offers an additional 100,000 square metres with 26 new aerobridges. In addition, there are over 100 new retail stores spread over 24,000 sq m which will be progressively opened by August.

From June, passengers will be able to use bar-coded boarding pass (BCBP) technology which can be accessed on mobile devices for security clearance to the departure areas.

Meanwhile, electronic gates will also be implemented in June to automate the passport clearance process; this is applicable to Brazilians aged 18 and above. A new operation control centre with cutting-edge airport management systems will also be up and running next month.

The consortium has plans to invest a further 3.2 billion reals in services and new infrastructure up till 2039.

"Delivered in record time, the revamped airport is the result of a commitment that we made in 2014 to the city and our passengers, and a concerted effort by the community," said Luiz Rocha, president of RIOgaleão. "At the peak of the works, the consortium generated up to 7,000 jobs. We worked tirelessly to ensure that what we have today is a world-class airport that is ready to receive the 1.5 million visitors we are expecting at the Olympic Games."

An earlier version of the story stated the cost of the facelift - after conversion - was S$7.8 million. It has since been corrected to S$783 million. The story above has been revised to reflect this.