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Rousseff ‘guarantees’ Brazil’s airports will be prepared to welcome World Cup visitors

Wednesday, May 21st 2014 - 07:15 UTC
Full article 18 comments
“We are going to welcome everyone extremely well, and Brazilians will be able to be proud of the Brazil we are building” “We are going to welcome everyone extremely well, and Brazilians will be able to be proud of the Brazil we are building”
Airports in four host cities – Belo Horizonte, Cuiabá, Fortaleza and Rio de Janeiro – will be completed only after the tournament has finished. Airports in four host cities – Belo Horizonte, Cuiabá, Fortaleza and Rio de Janeiro – will be completed only after the tournament has finished.

President Dilma Rousseff has “guaranteed” Brazil's airports will be prepared to welcome visitors for the World Cup, which starts on June 12 in São Paulo. Rousseff made the comments on her weekly ''Breakfast with the President'' national radio program following criticism that a number of airports which were promised to be completed for the key football tournament remain unfinished.

 “I guarantee that our airports are prepared for the World Cup,” Rousseff said. “We are going to welcome everyone extremely well, and Brazilians will be able to be proud of the Brazil we are building.”

The president stressed that although new and expanded airports were timed to help Brazil welcome the influx of World Cup visitors, both from abroad and traveling around the country, the new facilities were aimed primarily at improving Brazilians' lives.

“The investments will be good for the World Cup, but much more important for meeting Brazil's own growth in demand,” she said.

Airports in four host cities – Belo Horizonte, Cuiabá, Fortaleza and Rio de Janeiro – will be completed only after the tournament has finished.

The government has admitted the delays, but the president argued in the case of Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte that the airport alternations were not specifically for the World Cup but built for the longer term view.

Viracopos Airport, located in the city of Campinas around 80 kilometers northwest of São Paulo, used by many for domestic flights within Brazil and which will serve seven national teams for the World Cup, has also been delayed.

Likewise in one of the latest setback, heavy rain caused flooding in the passenger terminal of the World Cup airport in the jungle city of Manaus on Monday, upsetting travelers and forcing officials to temporarily close some areas.

The new terminal at São Paulo's main Guarulhos International Airport, opened by President Rousseff is expected to boost capacity by 12 million passengers a year and has been operating since May 11 but travelers have complained of a number of issues, including the terminal's baggage handling system.

As a result, some airlines were delaying transferring operations to the new terminal until after the World Cup had concluded, local media reported early in May.

Top Comments

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  • A_Voice

    Welcome...here is your Robo armour and your mosquito net....
    BTW if Brazil don't win...you are all as good as dead.....have a nice day...

    May 21st, 2014 - 11:06 am 0
  • ChrisR

    “the new facilities were aimed primarily at improving Brazilians' lives.”

    Yes, it makes perfect sense to spend billions of dollars on the WC and then MISS the tournament!

    She really is looking like the complete failure that she is at managing things that are not perfect. And frankly she is only average when they are. I thought she was known as “The Manager”, ha, ha, ha.

    As Pele says, and he claims to know the numbers, visitors from abroad are cancelling their trip in their droves. At least they have come to their senses.

    May 21st, 2014 - 11:13 am 0
  • yankeeboy

    The majority of Brazilians can't afford to fly. So who are they helping again?

    May 21st, 2014 - 11:25 am 0
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