News

Corporación Quiport, the concessionaire of Quito’s airport services, in keeping with its promise to provide services of excellence and its commitment to foster air connectivity and economic and social development in Quito and Ecuador, has announced an expansion and improvement plan at the Mariscal Sucre International Airport for 2017-2020.

The plan involving nine projects structured around three key areas – investment, service and development – aims at improving airport processes for the benefit of passengers, users and companies requiring them.

Investment for the expansion and improvement plan amounts to US$ 90 million distributed as follows: US$ 60 million for expansion and US$ 30 million for improvements.

The expansion project – with US$ 60 million investment – is focused on extending the airport’s operating capacity considering its service standards and is in keeping with the contractual obligations under the Master Plan for Airport Development approved by the Municipality of Quito. It comprises infrastructure construction and is to be performed at four work fronts:

• Expansion of cargo platform delivered this year, which included the construction of one additional aircraft parking spot, thus improving the capacity to process imports and exports from the Mariscal Sucre Airport.
• Expansion of apron parking area for the Ground Service Equipment allowing better operation of aeronautical services. This was also completed in early 2018.
• Extension of passenger terminal by 18%. 21% enhancement of processing area, including installation of six additional self-check-in kiosks and improvement of immigration area by 34% and customs area by 13%. The departures area will be expanded by 3,200 square meters, thus resulting in 19% increased capacity of the boarding lounge, including an additional boarding gate and an additional boarding bridge.
• Expansion of commercial platform for passengers with construction of 11,215 square meters and an additional aircraft parking spot.

Quiport is additionally carrying out improvements including reconfiguration of areas to optimize the operation and to enhance the users’ experience. With a US$ 30 million investment, this plan includes five projects, three of them delivered in 2017 as follows:

• Expansion and remodeling of the international VIP lounge, with broad areas designed for working, resting, entertainment and fine eating.
• Implementation of concourse area to facilitate connections of in-transit passengers.
• Sidewalk and landscaping project, beautifying the airport with gardens, green areas thus providing a feeling of identity to visitors.

The following will be delivered by 2020:

• Reconfiguration of the departures hall by relocating the information counter to a position with better visibility at the center of the hall. Some of the shops will be relocated, resulting in an optimized use of the space. New finishings and new floors will also be placed to modernize the area.
• Reconfiguration of arrivals area to increase its capacity. A sixth baggage belt will be installed in order to optimize suitcase delivery and to provide more comfort to travelers.

At a press conference held in Quito to announce the project, Jessica Alomía, Undersecretary of Air Transport of the Ministry of Transport and Public Works, said that “Quito’s airport is one of the main catalysts of development – it generates employment, tourism, trade, and this in turn is translated into many jobs and many opportunities for Ecuadorian families.”

“We want to thank the Quito airport for giving this good news to the country. These great achievements drive us to continue working for air connectivity, tourism and trade.”

For the Secretary of Productive Development and Competitiveness of the Municipality of Quito, Álvaro Maldonado, the project of the Mariscal Sucre Airport “is a model and a successful case of public-private partnership. There are very few cases of this magnitude in Latin America. I want to emphasize that this is an absolutely winning project with an interesting future. It is a case study for the region and it is indeed an excellent presentation letter for our investment attraction strategy, now complemented by the national government with a policy of economic development, that goes hand in hand with the private sector and investors.”

The General Director of Civil Aviation, Carlos Álvarez Mantilla, extended his “sincere congratulations to all the people at Quiport who today have presented a project that includes the construction of infrastructure and equipment to expand the operational capacity of the airport which will undoubtedly boost the economic, social and therefore tourism development of Quito and Ecuador.”

For his part, the president of the Association of Representatives of Airlines in Ecuador (ARLAE), Marco Subía, commented, “it is the first time in my life, in all the experience I have in aviation, that I have seen so many airlines arrive in the country. That means that something is being done correctly on behalf of the Municipality, the central government, the Directorate of Civil Aviation, the Ministry of Transport, the Quito airport… something is being done well and we must continue in that fashion”.

He continued by saying that “the airlines are very happy with this news, with this growth that facilitates the operation. We have always worked hand in hand with all the authorities, the Municipality and Corporación Quiport. The airlines are very pleased with this good news. Our sincere congratulations.”

Andrew O’Brian, President and Director General of Corporación Quiport, explains that “our main objective is to develop our connectivity by strategically working hand-in-hand with municipal and national authorities to attract more airlines and to open more destinations making us the most successful public-private partnership model in Ecuador. Thanks to our work aiming at tourist promotion, Quito and Ecuador have become a hot destination. The airport expansion results in the arrival of many new flights. Quiport and the city are ready to receive the world.”

With the expansion and improvements plan approved by the Municipality of Quito, Corporación Quiport exceeds its contractual expectations and raises its service levels by investing in improvements that will enrich the passenger experience. Thus, Corporación Quiport complies with its commitment of offering first-class infrastructure that will further connectivity growth in the city and in the country.