BRASILIA – Most Brazilian airports being renovated for the 2014 football World Cup will not be ready on time, likely causing major headaches for travelers, a government-backed study found Thursday.
There are about 70 public airport in Brazil, and many are in need of upgrades ahead of the World Cup in three years and the 2016 Olympics due to take place in Rio. Nine of the 13 airport terminals currently being expanded are on track to be completed in time, according to the Institute for Applied Economic Research. which said the airports had underestimated the increase in the number of travelers.
The IPEA predicted that construction at the other nine airports would only end in 2017. Rio’s international airport, however, will be up and running. The number of passengers in Brazil grew by 117 percent from 2003 to 2010.
Last year, 14 of the 20 main airports in the South American giant were operating over their capacity, the IPEA said. Over the next four years, the number of passengers is expected to jump by 40 percent, reaching 225.9 million.
