Chile airport scheme announced

Astaldi and Vinci Airports have been named among a consortium set to deliver a major redevelopment of Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport in Santiago, Chile.

The project will centre on the design and construction of a new 175,000m² terminal, which is scheduled to increase passenger numbers to a capacity of 30 million a year.

As part of the scheme, the Nuevo Pudahuel consortium venture - which includes Aéroports de Paris, is also to focus on the upgrade of the site’s existing terminal buildings.

Scheduled to start this October, the contract involves the management of the airport over the next 20 years. It has been forecast that future expansion of its facilities could lead to a capability of handling up to 40 million passengers a year.

Astaldi and Vinci Construction Grands Projets will lead the site’s construction works, which will be delivered over the next five years. The airport is the sixth largest in South America and handled a total of 16 million passengers in 2014.

Xavier Huillard, chairman and CEO of Vinci, explained there had been many months of initial bid preparation by the consortium partners.
He said, “We have very high ambitions for Arturo Merino Benitez Airport, and this project will now spearhead our airport strategy on the South American continent.

“Working jointly with Aéroports de Paris, our task will be to assist and encourage the development of passenger traffic whilst ensuring that standards of service are raised to the highest international standards.”

Stefan Cerri, CEO of Astaldi, added that the company was helping create what he said would be “landmark infrastructure” for Chile with the expansion of the airport’s facilities.