DEC. 18, 2018

President Piñera inaugurates Santiago airport expansion: “This is another step forward for Chile.”

The President inaugurated operations at Concourse C, the airport’s new boarding area, which will serve 392,000 passengers each month.

On Tuesday, President Sebastián Piñera inaugurated Arturo Merino Benítez Airport Concourse C, which will feature five new double passenger boarding bridges and will serve more than 13,000 people each day.

The construction of the concourse generated more than 2,000 jobs and operations are expected to create between 200 and 250 new positions.

“Today’s inauguration of Terminal 2 Concourse C is another step forward for Chile. We want our progress to be increasingly strong and steady so we can go farther, arrive more quickly and be more confident when we arrive at our destination as a developed country without poverty,” Piñera said during a ceremony that was also attended by Transport Minister Gloria Hutt and Public Works Minister Juan Andrés Fontaine.

Concourse C, which has five double passenger boarding bridges that will enable two planes to operate simultaneously, is just one part of the airport expansion process. Once work is complete, airport’s capacity will increase from 16 million to 38 million passengers per year.

“We are experiencing a democratizing revolution in the number of people who experience air travel, which used to be absolutely cost prohibitive for those groups,” the President said after touring the new facilities. The new concourse also features moving sidewalks to facilitate access for people with reduced mobility, 13 stores, a children’s play area, Wi-Fi and bathrooms.

“An airport is a living thing. It is a small city that has to face many challenges and solve enormous problems,” he added.

The airport expansion plan includes the construction of a new 240,000 m2 International Passenger Terminal and increasing the number of parking spaces from 3,785 to 5,815.

“Airport infrastructure is fundamental. In many ways, it is how we relate to each other and how we relate to the rest of the world. It is not just about economics, trade or business. It is also about feelings and family- it’s personal,” the President said.