The practical effect of this has been greater complexity in the licensing process for real estate projects
The expansion of landings and takeoffs at Campo de Marte is creating new limits for building construction within a radius of 20 kilometers from the airport, paralyzing the approvals of part of the new real estate projects in São Paulo and even neighboring cities, such as Barueri, Osasco, São Caetano and Guarulhos, among others.
The airport is undergoing works to accommodate flights under instrument navigation. (IFR), which makes it possible to increase the capacity and regularity of executive aviation. Today, navigation is done visually only (VRF), which prevents travel on very cloudy or rainy days, which compromise pilots’ visibility.
The change in the navigation model was something already foreseen in the Campo de Marte concession contractand the works in progress are under the responsibility of the concessionaire PAX Aeroportos, controlled by XP Asset. The change in the navigation regime, however, made the rules for erecting buildings in the surrounding area stricter.
Among the planned innovations, a ceiling was established for the entire region within a radius of 20 kilometers from the airport. Therefore, any construction that intends to exceed the height limits (which varies from 105 to 145 meters) will require prior authorization from the Department of Airspace Control (Decea), a body of the Aeronautics Command (Comaer), responsible for controlling air traffic in Brazil.
The practical effect of this has been greater complexity in the licensing process for real estate projects. “At this moment, licensing that depends on a Comaer certification is suspended,” stated the president of the Housing Union (Secovi-SP), Ely Wertheim. “From Avenida Paulista downwards, towards Campo de Marte, Comaer’s official position is that it cannot give an answer about the template because of the studies on air traffic that are in progress”, said Wertheim, criticizing the lack of clarity in the new rules.
According to him, the strikes began about a month and a half ago and have already affected around 20 to 30 businesses, mainly impacting neighborhoods such as Bela Vista, Perdizes, Barra Funda, Centro and the north zone of the capital of São Paulo, where Campo de Marte is located. “It’s a very bad situation. The developer buys the land to build a 20-story building and has no official response as to whether he can continue with the project”, he complained.
The Brazilian Association of Real Estate Developers (Abrainc) estimates that the 20-kilometer belt around Campo de Marte encompasses around 90% of the projects planned for the city this yearequivalent to R$85 billion in sales. “The expansion of Campo de Marte is creating a significant bottleneck for the sector. More than 90% of projects must go through Comaer, whose ability to analyze quickly is still uncertain, and could hinder the licensing of thousands of homes and billions in investment”, stated Luiz França, president of Abrainc.
Comaer’s authorization will also be required for towers, antennas and transmission lines that are up to 3 kilometers from the approach and take-off trajectories, regardless of their height, in addition to expanding the zone of constructions above 40 meters in height that require approval from 2.5 km to 3.5 km.
Mapping
PAX Aeroportos stated that the change of operation from VFR to IFR is a requirement of the concession contract. Because of this, a series of works were carried out to adapt the entire track area to the required standards. “Now, it is up to Anac (National Civil Aviation Agency) to approve the airport and to Decea, responsible for the use of airspace, to authorize the start of instrument operations”, he added.
The concessionaire explained that every airport that operates using instruments has the obligation to carry out mapping within a radius of 20 kilometers – the so-called “External Horizontal Surface”, with the aim of identifying obstacles potentially relevant to aviation. This mapping does not, in itself, impose automatic limitations on urban occupation, so any altitude restrictions must be assessed individually.
“PAX Aeroportos, as operator of Campo de Marte, is responsible for conducting the technical preparation of the Basic Aerodrome Protection Zone Plan (PBZPA), based on georeferenced topographic survey and the identification of protective surfaces. The analysis and final approval of the plan and possible obstacles are the exclusive competence of Decea/Comaer”, he informed.
According to the Brazilian Air Force (FAB), the process for changing the area around the airport is being processed at the Southeast Regional Airspace Control Center (CRCEA-SE), Decea Regional Body. There is also an ongoing process at Anac regarding the approval of the airport’s Airport Master Plan (PDIR), which supports the implementation of future instrument operations.
Meanwhile, São Paulo’s airspace has already gained stricter protection zones, even before final approval of the plan. “This guideline is in force and applies to all ongoing and future processes that refer to the airspace around Campo de Marte”, explained Decea, in a note.
Strategic works
The works for the first stage of the Campo de Marte expansion were delivered by PAX on March 19with the presence of the Minister of Ports and Airports, Silvio Costa Filho, and the CEO of Anac, Tiago Faierstein.
At the time, authorities noted that aviation in São Paulo operates close to capacity limitsa fact that required the expansion of infrastructure to meet the growth in demand. Furthermore, they highlighted that the airport is strategic for the air system and can consolidate itself as a hub for executive aviation and new technologies, including electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOL). Opened in 1929, Campo de Marte Airport is one of the oldest airfields in operation in the country.
