MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Santiago airport capacity 40% expansion will handle 14 million annually

The renovation should be completed by 2013

Santiago de Chile’s airport is about to be expanded to accommodate millions of more travellers. The crowds of people in the airport have been steadily growing, adding hours of travel time to passengers arriving to and leaving from Chile.

The Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport in Chile was built to handle just 9.5 million people a year, but the number of passengers this year is expected to be over 10 million. In 2010 there was a 13% increase in customers compared to last year.

The Ministry of Public works is currently developing a plan to invest 40 million US dollars to expand the capacity of the airport to about 14 million people a year, a 40% increase from its current capacity.

The renovation is expected to start next year and be completed by 2013.

The plan being discussed includes expanding the existing terminals, increasing the International Police presence and modernizing the baggage handling system. There are also plans to update customs and the arrival area for domestic and international flights.

However, the increase in traffic though the airport is expected to continue to rise.
It is estimated that the airport will have 50 million annual passengers by 2045.

By Kara Frantzich – Santiago Times