The multinational engineering and consulting firm specialising in the airport and aerospace industry, AERTEC Solutions, has participated in the “Architecture-City” Networking Meeting in Bogotá (Colombia), coinciding with the delivery of a consultancy project for the tender for the expansion and management of five Colombian airports. Specifically, the company has delivered to the National Infrastructure Agency of Colombia (ANI) the consultancy project which includes the technical, financial, and legal feasibility study for awarding the concession of the airport infrastructures in the cities of Barranquilla, Armenia, Neiva, Popayán, and Cartago.
This is a project that will mobilise an investment of more than 200 million dollars by the company that is awarded the management of the four airports. This company will be responsible for the adaptation, improvement, and expansion of the airport facilities to respond to the forecast increase in air and cargo traffic expected over the next 20 years.
AERTEC Solutions' work has focused on determining the economic outlay for the concession of airport expansion and operation, ensuring service levels and quality standards for passengers and airlines are met. To this end, the consultancy has undertaken intensive fieldwork in recent months, deploying a team of professionals to audit the four airports, analyse their characteristics, and identify the improvements and adaptations necessary to align them with their expected growth.
Among other issues, the company has carried out an analysis to determine the current capacity of the airport facilities and the traffic forecast for the next two decades, as well as a detailed plan that defines the measures and actions to be carried out for the expansion and improvement of airport infrastructures.
“It is estimated that these five airports will increase passenger traffic by approximately 3.7 million passengers over the next 20 years, due to the growth that air transport is experiencing in the South American country,” states Carlos Berenguer, Director of Airports at AERTEC Solutions. Specifically, the Barranquilla airport, in the north of the country, is expected to increase its passenger demand from the current 2 million users to 4.7 million; while those in Armenia, Neiva, and Popayán would go from handling a joint traffic of around 750,000 passengers to 1.75 million.
In the coming weeks, the tender documents are scheduled for publication to launch the airport tendering process, in which AERTEC Solutions will support the airport concessionaire, the Colombian National Infrastructure Agency, throughout 2014.
International reference in airport installations
The delivery of this project developed by AERTEC Solutions in Colombia coincides with the participation of Carlos Berenguer, the company's Airports Director, in the I “Architecture-City” Meeting, which took place at the Pontifical Javeriana University of Bogotá (Colombia), organised by the Faculty of Architecture of said University, the Economic and Commercial Office of the Embassy of Spain and ICEX Spain Trade and Investment.
Specifically, Carlos Berenguer participated in the panel discussion “Growth linked to infrastructure. PPP Model”, within the Infrastructure Panel, where he will address the “Structuring of Airport Concessions”.
AERTEC Solutions is participating in this forum thanks to its extensive international track record in airport consulting and engineering services, with experience at over 70 airports worldwide and projects in 19 countries. As a result of this professional work, developed over 17 years, it possesses in-depth expertise on all aspects related to the interaction between airports and urban areas, as well as on the main parameters involved in the sustainability and integration of this type of infrastructure.
Latin America, a growing market
With the development of this consultancy project in Colombia, AERTEC Solutions consolidates the international weight of its business portfolio, which accounts for 75% of its total turnover in the airport sector, and strengthens its activity in this global market, where it has become a benchmark company in engineering and consultancy services. The project for these five Colombian airports is the first work AERTEC Solutions has undertaken in the country, reinforcing its growth plans with entry into a strategically growing region such as Latin America.
According to Carlos Berenguer, the company's Airports Director, “forecasts for increased air traffic and the significant investments expected in the airport sector in Colombia in the coming years, as well as in other countries on the continent, open up interesting business opportunities for companies in this field.” This is particularly true for AERTEC Solutions, a company whose primary asset is its specialisation in the airport sector and which offers a portfolio of services covering the entire lifecycle of an airport: from the conception, design, planning and development of facilities to assistance in operational exploitation. “All these services are essential to achieve a project's main objective: to obtain infrastructure that meets the functionality, cost, timeline and quality requirements demanded by each client,” remarks Berenguer.
AERTEC Solutions' objective is to continue expanding its international presence in Europe and North Africa, regions where it currently undertakes a large part of its projects, but also in other areas of strategic interest such as Latin America. In fact, the company has previously carried out other work in countries such as Panama, where it developed a master plan for the expansion of Tocumen International Airport, and Brazil, with advisory work for investors on the development of an institutional strategy in the country's airport market.
AERTEC Solutions is a multinational company that has developed projects in 19 countries across 5 continents, with references in over 70 international airports and offices in the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Portugal, and Morocco. Internationalisation and technological innovation, along with aerospace and airport specialisation, are the hallmarks of this company, which boasts a team of over 370 professionals and aeronautical experts.
