São Paulo, Brazil – Brazil’s Salgado Filho International Airport in the southern city of Porto Alegre is expected to resume operations in October according to officials, pushing up the originally expected reopening by two months.
The airport was severely damaged by flooding caused by heavy rains in April and May in the Rio Grande do Sul state, where Porto Alegre is the capital. The airport has been closed since May 3, and during the peak of the floods, the runway and interior areas of the airport were completely submerged by water.
High-capacity suction pumps, capable of draining up to 2,000 liters of water per second, helped reduce flood levels in various neighborhoods around Porto Alegre, including in the area of the airport. By early June, conditions improved and specialists were able to start assessing the damage caused inside the terminal and on the runway. Additionally, cleaning and repair efforts were expedited to restore normalcy as swiftly as possible.
Officials expect that from October onwards the airport will be partially operational for landings and takeoffs. To begin, the airport will be servicing 50 flights per day, according to an announcement made yesterday by the Minister of Ports and Airports Silvio Costa Filho.
(Fraport’s disclosure)
In the meantime, the Brazilian Air Force Base in Canoas, located about 20 minutes from Porto Alegre, continues to function as a substitute commercial airport, though its capacity is limited to 87 flights per week due to the local aerodrome infrastructure, which was not originally designed to serve as a commercial airport.
In other parts of Porto Alegre, standing water remains a problem.
On Tuesday, the city’s water and sewage department deployed a suction pump to expedite the drainage of floodwaters that persisted between the Navegantes and São Gonçalo neighborhoods in the northern part of the city.
Floodwaters in the area have remained for over 75 days. While water levels have receded in other neighborhoods, the accumulation of debris and trash continues to hinder the return to normal life for residents.
(Luciano Lanes / Porto Alegre City Hall courtesy)
