New terminal opened at international airport in Florianópolis
Since July 2017 Flughafen Zürich AG has held a 100% stake in the international airport “Aeroporto Hercílio Luz” in Florianópolis, Brazil. It is developing and operating “Floripa Airport” as part of its concession which runs until 2047. As of this week, operations are being handled in the newly constructed terminal.
The international airport “Aeroporto Hercílio Luz” in Florianópolis, taken over in summer 2017 by Flughafen Zürich AG (IATA abbreviation: FLN), is known simply as “Floripa Airport”, referring to the local nickname for the city. With a catchment area of 1.1 million people it counted around 4 million passengers in 2018. The airport is located on the eponymous island of the state of Santa Catarina, a popular holiday destination for both local and international travellers. The city is also one of the most dynamic economic regions in Brazil.
Modern airport infrastructure
After a total construction period of 16 months, the new terminal was commissioned as planned on 1 October 2019. Covering 41,000 square metres, it is around four times larger than the previous building, which had to be replaced as the structure had become obsolete. With the new building, “Floripa Airport” has a modern airport infrastructure including dock stands for ten aircraft. The building is supplemented by the retail and shopping complex “Boulevard 14/32”, which also accommodates a new observation deck. Lukas Brosi, Chief Financial Officer of Flughafen Zürich AG and responsible for international activities on the Management Board, said at the opening: “We are very pleased that we were able to hand over the new terminal at ‘Floripa Airport’ for operation on time, in the presence of numerous representatives from the fields of politics, business and society. I am confident that the new infrastructure creates the ideal conditions for handling the expected growth in passenger numbers in Florianópolis.”
International airport activities
Outside Switzerland, Flughafen Zürich AG currently operates at eight airports in Latin America. Along with the four airports in Brazil and two in Chile, the Zurich-based company is also operating airports in Bogotá and Curaçao. Flughafen Zürich AG has also had a base in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) since April 2018 from where it can develop markets in Asia.