Friday morning began bright and early for GLCM. After our early morning checkout we set out on our way to the Aeropuerto Internacional de Viracopos.  Traffic was not a problem for us this morning.  Usually the traffic in Sao Paulo has an impact on our travel time, but today we were lucky.

The airport in Viracopos began in 2012 with a desired end dated of June 2014 and a budget of around $1 billion.  The desired date was chosen with the 2014 FIFA World Cup in mind.  This multi-phase project will add a terminal and three concourses to the airport with room for expansions.  An addition like this terminal is said to be able to handle an additional 14 million passengers per year.  Keeping in mind population growth, this project was designed with any and all expansions in mind.  After all possible expansions to the terminal are added, the terminal will be able to process more than 65 million passengers per year through its corridors.  The terminal is not the only addition. A 7 floor parking garage is being constructed as well to hold up to 4,000 vehicles.  With expansion in mind, additional floors may be added on top of the parking garage to hold offices and hotels.

Brazil is a very environmentally conscious country, and so the Aeropuerto Internacional de Viracopos has a few eco-friendly additions.  Where feasible, rain water is being collected from the roof tops.  This rain water will then be used to help cool the air conditioning chillers.  Staying on the roof, the building is also equipped with photovoltaic cells that will collect the sunlight.  Within the terminal, skylights are incorporated to allow as much natural light to flow through the terminal and light up the passenger areas.  All this is done in order to keep the environment in mind.

The layout of this airport is meant to help keep the arrival and departure passengers separated. This will allow for a smoother experience in the airport since traveling can be hectic and difficult.  Departures are on the middle floor of the terminal and will not require any level changes for the passengers.  The arrivals will be on the top floor with direct vertical access to the lowest level to access the baggage claim.  With all this work happening on the project, it is no wonder that 7,000 workers are on site in order to meet the scheduled deadline.

Following our airport visit, we travelled by bus to the beautiful city of Paraty.  We drove through the mountains which gave us an opportunity to see the amazing landscape of Brazil.  A highlight of the bus ride was a chance to see the sunset over the mountains.  The colors we were able to see were indescribable.  Towards the end of the ride, we truly felt we were on a rollercoaster careening down the mountains.  This 8 hour bus ride really gave us a chance to connect and learn more about Brazil from our wonderful tour guides.  Welcome to Paraty GLCM!

Blog by Eliza Gawenda