The mayor of Rio, Eduardo Paes (PSD), said that President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) ruled out the possibility of increasing the number of flights to Santos Dumont airport.
The measure is being studied by the government and, according to experts, could weaken the Galeão international airport.
“It surprised the president that this news came out today. This is a decision by the President of the Republic, that Galeão is strengthened, Santos Dumont has his role to play. Today I posted some numbers on my social media. The president has once again drawn the attention of Minister Márcio (Macedo, from the General Secretariat), Minister Rui Costa (Casa Civil), he will speak to Minister Silvio (Costa Filho, from Ports and Airports), there is no such conversation . This is a matter of honor, the recovery of Galeão, things are going very well, it is a great achievement, another gift from President Lula to Rio de Janeiro”, stated the mayor.
Since last year, Paes has defended Galeão as the city’s main gateway. He highlights that the airport has consolidated itself as an international hub, with a growing movement of long-distance flights and connections to various destinations abroad.
The mayor’s concern arose after an interview given by the Secretary of Civil Aviation of the Ministry of Ports and Airports, Tomé Franca, in which he stated that Santos Dumont Airport has the capacity to receive more passengers in addition to the 6.5 million stipulated by the ministry.
“We are carrying out an assessment of public policy, we concluded this assessment after a 12-month cycle that ends in January, and all the results of the Santos Dumont airport restriction measure are being observed,” said the secretary in an interview with g1 and TV Globo.
