Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on March 31, 2026
2 min readLast updated: March 31, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleAena’s successful BRL 2.9 billion bid to operate Rio’s Galeão airport boosts it to Brazil’s largest airport operator by passenger share, serving ~28% of traffic. Galeão—handling ~17.8 M passengers in 2025—and zero-debt EBITDA of BRL 500 M in 2024 underline the deal’s financial appeal.
March 31 (Reuters) - Spain's Aena said on Tuesday that winning the right to run Rio de Janeiro's Galeao airport would make it Brazil's largest airport operator, serving about 28% of the country's passenger traffic.
The Spanish airport operator's bid of 2.9 billion reais ($552.3 million) won the concession auction to operate Brazil's third-busiest airport until 2039 on Monday. The deal is extendable by five years and gives Aena full control of the international hub.
In a call with analysts on Tuesday, Aena's finance chief said Galeao generated earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation of nearly 500 million reais in 2024, with a margin of 48%, and that the airport had no debt.
"This transaction happens at a price that we are very comfortable with, and should generate value for all our shareholders and stakeholders," CFO Ignacio Castejon said.
Aena already operates several Brazilian airports, including Sao Paulo's Congonhas, the country's second-busiest.
Galeao handled about 18 million passengers last year and has total capacity of 37 million, Aena said. It added the concession would no longer require major expansion spending, such as the construction of a third runway.
A 6.5 million passenger cap at Rio's Santos Dumont airport, which is expected to stay in place until the end of the concession, will support traffic at Galeao, the operator said.
Shares of Aena were up nearly 1% at 25.76 euros as of 0920 GMT, broadly in line with Spain's blue-chip IBEX 35 index.
($1 = 5.2510 reais)
(Reporting by Mireia Merino in Gdansk; Editing by Milla Nissi-Prussak)
Aena won the concession for Rio's Galeao airport with a bid of 2.9 billion reais ($552.3 million).
Winning the Galeao concession will make Aena the largest airport operator in Brazil, serving around 28% of the nation's passenger traffic.
Aena will operate Galeao airport until 2039, with a possible five-year extension.
In 2024, Galeao generated nearly 500 million reais in EBITDA, with a margin of 48%.
Aena stated that the concession will not require significant expansion such as building a third runway.
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