In order to increase operational load and offer a better experience to travelers transiting through the Rafael Núñez International Airport in Cartagena (Bolívar), the National Infrastructure Agency (ANI) signed the new concession to expand and modernize the air terminal.
“We received the infrastructure of the Rafael Núñez airport from the previous concessionaire and began the new concession contract with which we will contribute to improving the standards of operation, quality and service in this strategic air terminal for tourism, competitiveness and the economic growth of the region and the country,” explained the president of the ANI, Francisco Ospina Ramírez.
The works, which will involve an investment of more than $920,000 million, were awarded in November 2023 to the concessionaire Operadora Internacional Aeropuerto de Cartagena SAS (OINAC) to remodel 2,814 m2 of the existing terminal, and build a new international terminal of 17,360 m2. .
The minutes, with which the contract was finalized, contemplate a total of 8.5 years of concession, which will be distributed in: 1 year of pre-construction, 2.5 years of construction and 5 years of operation and maintenance.
“We recognize the importance of our management as an entry point to this wonderful city and we are determined to continue promoting tourism, facilitating connections that drive economic growth and the international projection of Cartagena, as well as maintaining and improving service levels,” said the concession manager, Carlos Cuartas.
The details of the work
The modernization of the Cartagena airport also includes the expansion of the commercial platform by 15,740 m2, for a total of 99,770 m2; the execution of 11,683 m2 of the parking area, in order to increase the capacity to 330 vehicles, as well as the construction of a road parallel to the runway to optimize the operation of the airport.
The modernization of the air terminal also includes maintenance works on the control tower and the Civil Aeronautics (Aerocivil) offices, as well as the remodeling of floors, walls, ceilings, doors and lighting, among others.
With the works, ANI expects to generate more than 13,741 direct and indirect jobs, with which it hopes to boost the local workforce.
“Human talent, which is the true driving force of companies, has been invited to continue with Oinac in its entirety: talented people who want to continue contributing to build on what has been built,” said the concession manager.
Cartagena Airport among the five that moved the most passengers in 2023
The modernization works at the Rafael Núñez International Airport in Cartagena (Bolívar) aim to expand the number of passengers the terminal receives per year. And in 2023 alone, the airfield was among the five in the country that transported the most travelers.
According to Civil Aeronautics (Aerocivil), last year around 49,459,000 passengers traveled to and from the country’s airports, which represented an increase of 2.9% compared to 2022, when 48,073,000 travelers traveled. .
The airport that was consolidated as the country’s main air connection point for 2023 was El Dorado in Bogotá, which transported 39,483,629 passengers. This was followed by the José María Córdova airport in Rionegro (Antioquia), with 11,871,979 passengers, and the Alfonso Bonilla Aragón airport in Cali (Valle del Cauca), with 6,615,106 passengers.
The Cartagena air terminal, for its part, was positioned as the fourth airport that transported the most travelers in 2023, with 6,388,148. The ranking of the five aerodromes that transported the most travelers was completed by the Ernesto Cortissoz airport in Barranquilla, with 3,184,185 passengers. With Infobae