Minister Orlando Silva Criticizes Infraero
The Ministers for Sport, Orlando Silva Junior, and Tourism, Luiz Barretto, expressed their concern for the Brazilian airport situation on November22 in Rio de Janeiro, where they participated in the opening ceremony of the international football fair Soccerex. “I am very worried about the airports. It is evident that Brazil’s airports are close to the limit with regards to the country’s needs. When we think of an event that will create crowded occupation of airports, while remembering that Brazil is a country of continental proportions around which we may only travel by means of the airport system, we perceive that the airports are the country’s main risk for the successful staging of the 2014 World Cup”, said Mr. Silva.
The Minister for Sport criticised Infraero, the state company responsible for administrating the airports. “Infraero will have to completely alter its conduct, posture and attitude and operate in a completely different way from how it has operated until now, or it will cause embarrassment and problems during the World Cup.” Mr. Silva said that the schedule of commitments taken on by the state company in January of this year is not being met. “Therefore the company must work faster in 2011. Either they speed up the modernisation of the airports, or Brazil will suffer international embarrassment”, he demanded.
Mr. Barretto, in turn, said that the government is not only worried about the matter because of the 2014 World Cup. “The demand for domestic flights in Brazil will increase by around 30 percent this year. At the end of this year, we will have modules in the passenger terminals at Cumbica, Viracopos and Brasilia. I think we face a challenge that cannot be described as small”, he stated. The Minister for Tourism said that Brazil must seize the opportunity presented by the World Cup to leave a positive legacy in the area of airport improvements.
“What would be a good headline for 2014? Not only that we won the World Cup, but also that we won off the field and left the country a good legacy.”
]Photo: Orlando Silva, Minister for Sport]
