Skip to main content

Chile finally launches Santiago's airport tender

Chile's public works ministry MOP has launched a long-delayed tender to expand and operate Santiago's international airport, the first big project to be awarded under President Michelle Bachelet's administration. The US$655 million project entails the construction of a 200,000 sq m terminal with two wings exclusively for international flights and two additional wings that will alternate between international and domestic flights. The tender was initially expected to be launched last year, under former
June 24, 2014 Read time: 2 mins
Chile's public works ministry 7820 MOP has launched a long-delayed tender to expand and operate Santiago's international airport, the first big project to be awarded under President Michelle Bachelet's administration.

The US$655 million project entails the construction of a 200,000 sq m terminal with two wings exclusively for international flights and two additional wings that will alternate between international and domestic flights.

The tender was initially expected to be launched last year, under former President Sebastián Piñera's administration, but disputes between MOP and aviation authorities delayed the project. It suffered further delays when Bachelet took office as the new administration changed tender rules to allow more companies to bid in the process.

The airport expansion aims to serve 29 million passengers by 2030 and 50 million by 2045. Santiago accounts for nearly 70 per cent of Chile's airport passenger traffic. Passenger traffic is estimated to grow between five and nine per cent in the next four years to break the 20 million mark in 2018.

Companies reportedly interested in bidding include French airport operator Aéroports de Paris, Germany's Flughafen München and Fraport, Mexican airport operator GAP, Argentina's Corporación América and Colombian firm Opain, concessionaire of Bogotá's El Dorado international airport.

Related Content

  • June 20, 2014
    Colombia's growing airport concessions
    Colombia's three airport concessions have shown significant growth over the past ten years, each increasing passenger flow by over 200 per cent, figures from the country's civil aviation body show. Bogotá's El Dorado international airport, which became a concession in 2007, grew 235 per cent, passing from transporting 7 million passengers in 2003 to transporting 25 million in 2013. Meanwhile, Cartagena's Rafael Núñez airport grew 224 per cent from 1 million passengers in 2003 to 3.3 million in 2013.
  • March 14, 2014
    Chile plans feasibility studies to extend three metro lines
    Chile's transport ministry plans to launch feasibility studies to extend three metro lines in the capital, Santiago. The plans include expanding the north-south line 2 south towards El Bosque and San Bernardo neighbourhoods and line 3, currently under construction, north to Quilicura, according to transport minister Andrés Gómez-Lobo. The other proposal is to expand further south line 4, which connects Santiago's eastern neighbourhood of Providencia with the town of Puente Alto to the southeast of the
  • November 7, 2014
    Chile launches ambitious transport plan
    In an effort to boost a weakening economy, Chilean President Michelle Bachelet has announced a nearly US$4.2 billion transport infrastructure plan, including one new metro line in Santiago, cable car systems in three other cities and rail projects. The plan includes US$1.9 billion in new concessions, with the expansion of public-private partnerships (PPPs) to the metro system and US$2.2 billion in works directly funded by the government. In Santiago, the program involves developing feasibility studie
  • October 22, 2013
    Investors say politics is hurting Chile infrastructure spending
    While the financial community praises Chile as a safe haven and pioneer in Latin American infrastructure, investors say that political leaders lack commitment to push for projects, and they have called for the creation of an independent authority to plan public works and coordinate projects. Chile's construction chamber has proposed the installation of an agency, such as those that exist in Canada and New Zealand, which would be independent from the national government and would plan long-term infrastruc