The international airport of Rio de Janeiro, Antonio Carlos-Jobim Galeao aims for an important 2016, with increasing volumes as Rio de Janeiro will host the Olympic Games.
The director of Rio Galeao Cargo, Patrick Fehring, says that in February 2016, the Brazilian airport opened a new 4,300 square meter cargo warehouse, which will house ground operations for LATAM Airlines, Avianca, GOL and Azul.<span class=”text_exposed_show”>.
The airport is investing $6 million in loading facilities, and last year spent $5 million on the pharmaceutical warehouse, which will increase efficiency and drive growth.
“In June 2015, we inaugurated our new 11,000 square meter Pharma Center, which has tripled our storage capacity, to meet the growing demand from importers for pharmaceutical products. We are planning further investment in the expansion and upgrade of our Pharma complex.
2015 was a difficult year for the air cargo market in LATAM and Brazil in particular, due to political instability and declining economic activity. The Brazilian market as a whole has suffered and seen a collapse in its international volumes.
“We have managed to reduce the time for customs clearance of goods by 20% in 2015, improving our ability to attract customers who in the past have opted for another gateway.
The main exports in 2015 were pharmaceuticals and perishables (papaya and fish), but also textiles and parts of oil and gas. The export markets are Europe, the United States and the rest of LATAM. On the import side, Europe accounts for 40% of volumes, North America for 32%. Oil and gas and pharmaceuticals accounted for 19% and 13% respectively of the volume of imports in 2015.
These market segments are expected to grow above average once the economic recovery and infrastructure investments resume growth. Market opportunities are expected in 2016 for the machinery and technology sectors. However, 2016 should be positive given the “Olympic Games” event, which will generate significant volumes this year. In particular, 20-25 charters are expected in both directions and an additional volume of 11 cargo ships, for example with horses, for which we have already adapted our infrastructure.
