Spain's Aena won the Galeão International Airport repactuation auction in Rio de Janeiro with a R$ 2.9 billion bid, exceeding the minimum by 210.9%. The company now operates 18 airports across five regions in Brazil, including Congonhas in São Paulo. Former Infraero legal director Gilvandro Araújo likened Aena to a 'new Spanish Infraero'.
Aena secured the International Galeão Airport in a repactuation auction on Monday, March 30, 2026, at B3 headquarters in São Paulo. The winning bid of R$ 2.9 billion marked a 210.9% premium over the R$ 932 million minimum, following 26 live bids. Zurich Airport reached R$ 2.8 billion, while the Rio de Janeiro Aeroporto consortium ended at R$ 1.88 billion.
The win brings Aena's Brazilian operations to 18 airports across five regions. Its prior 17 terminals handled 20% of national air traffic. The portfolio features Congonhas, Brazil's busiest domestic terminal, plus João Pessoa, Maceió, Recife, and airports in Pará, Minas Gerais, and Mato Grosso do Sul. Galeão saw 17.8 million passengers in 2025.
"Aena is a new Infraero. A Spanish Infraero," said Gilvandro Araújo, former Infraero legal director and current partner at Urbano Vitalino Advogados. He noted the company's expanded reach and predicted Galeão would become an international hub. "This auction showed more companies are competing for concessions," he added, indicating sector maturation.
Under the deal, Aena will pay the Brazilian government a 20% variable contribution on Galeão's gross revenue until 2039. The federal government previously held 49% of the concessionaire. Fernando Vernalha, partner at Vernalha Pereira, credited the auction's competitiveness to regulatory updates, such as removing the new runway requirement.
