6 February 2012 is the date set of the auction that will allow three consortiums to take control of the airports of Guarulhos in São Paulo, Viracopos in Campinas and Brasilia. You will find more details on the event and the process at São Paulo and Brasília airport auctions require foreign participation in consortium. The first auction will include the airport of the Brazilian capital, the most important airport in Brazil (Guarulhos in São Paulo) and the airport that aims to become the largest Brazilian airport in the 2020′s. An Indian group will be among the competing candidates (Indians intend to compete alone for license for Brazilian airports).

Baggage theft at Guarulhos international airport in São Paulo is on the rise. A recent feature by Época SP magazine (read the full text in Portuguese at Cumbica: 20 malas por dia têm objetos furtados no aeroporto) revealed how it is estimated an average of 20 pieces of luggage have all or part of their contents stolen every day at the airport. The article contains interviews with airport staff how describe the situation of baggage theft as a disease. Flights coming from Buenos Aires and Miami (where Brazilians love to go shopping) are particularly affected.

If that was not enough, police forces are after a gang stealing luggage items directly from passengers at the airport. Folha de São Paulo reports on the text at Polícia procura ladrões de bagagens em Cumbica; veja roubos.

In Brazil the term “ponte aérea” (air shuttle) refers to the frequent flights between the Santos Dumont airport in Rio de Janeiro and the Congonhas airport in São Paulo – both airports are located within the city boundaries.

A recent research mentioned by the Valor Econômico newspaper, based on an analysis of airfares on the route, revealed the Rio-São Paulo connection is the most expensive in the world. Second place is for Dubai-Doha while Tokyo-Sapporo takes third.

For those fluent in Portuguese, Globo TV network run a series of reports on the situation of air transportation in Brazil. One of the reports dealt with the way the Brazilian traffic air control system works and the problems it faces, due to the dire state of the airport infrastructure. It’s a video worth watching as it shows in a very clear manner where the problem lies.

The video is here: Entenda o funcionamento e o controle do espaço aéreo brasileiro.

The Brazilian government is introducing changes to the way airport tax is calculated. As a result, a small increase in value is expected. All the details (in Portuguese) at Portaria 174.

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The sorry state of the Brazilian airport infrastructure makes the local news on a regular basis. It is also the top concern of the organizers of both the World Cup 2014 and the Olympic Games of 2016.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has just expressed its concern, describing the situation at the Brazilian airports as a disaster.

If that wasn’t enough, we’ve just learned that Brazil lacks 900 air traffic controllers.

We don’t know when we’re likely to see real changes, but the World Cup approaches and hardly anything has changed over the last few years.

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On a recent ranking produced by Skytrax Guarulhos international airport in São Paulo, the most important Brazilian airport, was listed in the 121th place. Anybody who’s had to use the airport knows why.

The situation of public transportation to the airport is absolutely outrageous. A taxi from my home in São Paulo to the airport sets me back R$145 (that’s 65 euros or 82 US dollars at today’s exchange rate). There have been times when I’ve paid less for the plane ticket than for the taxi. If you take the shuttle airport you will pay more than double the amount of money it would take you to reach Santos by bus, 90 km away.

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For the Brazilian taxpayer 7 years would have seemed more than enough to bring the Brazilian airports from the XX into the XXI. But the notorious handling of airport affairs by the Brazilian government has led to a conclusion: the airports won’t be ready for the FIFA World Cup 2014. Hence, the magic solution: makeshift terminals in 15 of the World Cup airports. Rough times ahead for anyone planning air travel in Brazil.

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Portuguese airline Tap‘s marketing drives in the form of flash mobs at different airports across the world recently reached Brazil too.

The first performance took place at the Galeão international airport, in Rio de Janeiro.

The second such performance was at Guarulhos international airport, in São Paulo.

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Brazilian airline Webjet is offering its passengers a free shuttle service between Congonhas and Guarulhos airports in São Paulo. More details -including service schedules- at Webbus.

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