CEO, Airplan
Airplan invested COP101 billion up through August 2017. Around 40% of total investment has been invested in Rionegro for its terminal building expansion, platform expansion, and airplane parking lots. Generally, airplane parking is the infrastructure part that becomes saturated most quickly and creates the most bottlenecks. We have invested in nine new airplane parking positions; therefore, we are going to be more competitive. We have also invested in Montería and Quibdó, not only on runway and platform but also on building infrastructure. These investments represent 30% of total investment. The remaining 30% has been distributed to other airports like Medellín, Carepa, and Corozal. We have airport expansion plans and government-updated master development plans for six airports. This way, we have a development route where we monitor the growth of each airport in order to timely plan the investments according to the expected demand. Our commercial projections are well defined. We need to establish our new airport according to the new development plan whereby the airport itself is a commercial center to promote international connections and new businesses opportunities. This is exactly the business model we are promoting in Rionegro, Medellín, and Quibdó. We have another important challenge of promoting the air cargo business through a new building. This building will have the latest generation logistical and warehousing technologies for air cargo services.
General Manager, Aeropuerto Olaya Herrera Medellín
75% of airports are state-owned, the principal owner being the national government and Civil Aeronautics, the rest being owned by local authorities such as the Medellín airport. In 2008, a Colombian and a Chinese company got a public tender through a license contract for six airports: Rio Jose Maria Cordova airport in Antioquia, Los Garzones airport in Monteria, El Caraño airport in Choco, Las brujas airport in Sucre, Antonio Betancur in Antioquia, and Olaya Herrera airport in Medellín. The contracts last between 15-25 years and were worth USD250 million. Maintenance, modernization, management, and doing new business were all included in the contracts. The company that covers those obligations is called Airplan. Before, the funding resources given to the airport were low, but this is increasing. For example, in 2016 we gave Medellín USD4 million for the annual budget and have been investing that budget in social development programs. With foreign investment in mind, in 2019 we are requesting a public tender to develop the master plan, which reflects the planning of the airport in the next 20 years. We are currently working on developing our technology to see if we can start to have international flights, as the Olaya Herrera airport only handles private international flights for users or companies with their own planes.
CEO, Álvaro González Ringler
Our current phase of expansion is near completion, though the airport as a whole is in a state of constant growth. The sector will enjoy continuous growth for the coming years. The airport is growing at a rapid rate, which is a reflection of what the country means for the region. Airlines are betting on Colombia’s continued growth. This particular phase of construction is about to end. We are about to complete the northern expansion project, which will be dedicated to international flights. Additionally, we will add more area to our domestic flights. These two new areas account for almost 50,000sqm of additional space. The idea is to not only improve the passenger areas, but to also improve our commercial offer. We want to improve customer experience in every possible way. An improved experience is our strategic objective. We want to provide not only a high quality infrastructure, but also a world-class experience. We are not just improving infrastructure, but revamping the experience of passengers and visitors of our airport as well. We need to recognize that Colombia, and Bogotá in particular, is in a geographical position that offers several natural advantages. El Dorado has become a connection point. We have made efforts to attract new airlines and have worked to improve connectivity of our current airlines.
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