Galeão auction guarantees R$2.9 billion and inaugurates a new phase of the airport concession

The Ministry of Ports and Airports (MPor) and the National Civil Aviation Agency (Anac) held this Monday (30), at B3, in São Paulo, the assisted sale auction of Rio de Janeiro International Airport – Antônio Carlos Jobim, Galeão. The procedure is part of the consensual solution built with the objective of readjusting the concession contract and ensuring the continuity of operations for one of the most important gateways to the country. After a dispute lasting around 1 hour and almost 30 open outcry bids, the concessionaire Aena won the Rio de Janeiro terminal with a proposal of R$2.9 billion, a premium of more than 210%.

For the Minister of Ports and Airports, Silvio Costa Filho, the auction represents a historic moment for Brazil. “We have a very positive result here today for national aviation and for the country as a whole. This auction is a clear demonstration that differences build convergences and here everything worked in favor of Galeão. That’s why we need to increasingly strengthen collective construction”, he highlighted. Costa Filho also emphasized that Brazil is increasingly becoming a major player in the globalized economy: “here we have good projects, legal security and well-functioning institutions. We also have the largest volume of concessions in national history, the equivalent of more than R$300 billion in contracts signed in ports, airports, highways, railways, sanitation, oil and gas concessions”, he highlighted.

“That’s why we need to increasingly strengthen collective construction”, he highlighted. Costa Filho also emphasized that Brazil is increasingly becoming a major player in the globalized economy”
Silvio Costa Filho
Three groups participated in the event: the current concessionaire RIOgaleão, the Spanish company Aena and the Swiss company Zurich Airport. The current concessionaire, RIOgaleão, is formed by the Brazilian management company Vinci Compass and the international operator Changi, from Singapore.

Model

The auction notice also provides for the controlling company to make a variable contribution corresponding to 20% of the concession’s gross revenue until 2039, in addition to assuming all assets, liabilities, obligations and rights relating to Galeão.

The operation also formalizes the departure of Infraero from the airport’s corporate structure, which held 49% of the concessionaire’s shares. This new agreement brought structural changes and regulatory modernization, essential for Galeão’s sustainability and growth.

The director-president of the National Civil Aviation Agency, Tiago Faierstein, highlighted the result of the auction and highlighted the joint work of the bodies to hold the event. “What happened here today was the implementation of an initiative built in a consensus chamber held by the Federal Court of Auditors. The success of the auction is also due to the TCU, for having opened this opportunity to renegotiate a contract that is so important for the country. By joining efforts between the TCU, the National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC) and the MPor, we were able to carry out this first market test for airport contracts in Brazil”, he concluded.

The renegotiation of the contract is the result of a process conducted jointly with the Federal Audit Court (TCU), the National Civil Aviation Agency (Anac) and other bodies involved, which sought a negotiated solution to guarantee the continuity of the concession and preserve the investments already made at the airport.

Rebalancing and recovery

The auction takes place after a period of restructuring at Galeão, which faced a drop in demand in the years following the large investments made for the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games, a scenario worsened by the Covid-19 pandemic.

In recent years, measures adopted jointly by different spheres of government have sought to rebalance airport operations in Rio de Janeiro. Among them is the movement limit at Santos Dumont Airport, with the aim of better distributing the flow between the terminals and optimizing the use of existing infrastructure.

The effects of this reorganization already appear in the numbers. In 2023, Santos Dumont and Galeão airports together handled 18.9 million passengers. In 2025, the volume rose to 23.5 million, indicating recovery in demand and greater balance in operations between the two airports.

Tomé Franca, executive secretary of the Ministry of Ports and Airports, highlighted the importance of the event for aviation in Rio de Janeiro and Brazil. “We held more than an auction: we signed a new development pact for the state and for Brazil. We thought about the concession with an eye on the future. The curve of increasing passenger movement in Brazil is a fact that has been consolidating over the last three years and will require a prepared Galeão. There are more Brazilians flying, more aircraft landing and taking off, making our economy spin. And there is nothing more correct than having the largest airport in Brazil able to handle future demand”, he emphasized.

The assisted sales model allows the concession to continue with new contractual bases, replacing the re-bidding initially planned and incorporating more recent sector regulation practices. Among the changes are the review of obligations, the exclusion of requirements such as the construction of a third runway and the adoption of economic-financial rebalancing mechanisms.

Special Social Communication Advisory
Ministry of Ports and Airports