Brazil to build 800 Airports

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff announced that the country would build at least 800 regional airports.

"We plan to build build 800 regional airports or more" for cities of more than 100,000 people.
"Brazil is a continent-sized country. We need more than railways. Some people in Brazil can travel only by air. We want cities of more than 100,000 inhabitants to have an airport within 60 kilometres," (40 miles) she added. "It is also a necessity for the country's growth."
Brazil, a country of 194 million people with a territory 17 times bigger than Spain. The concessions valued at a total of $14 billion will upgrade congested terminals at the three airports to handle the tens of thousands of tourists expected for the World Cup.

"Most Brazilian airports are congested. If things don't improve, they will have problems," the president of the Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association, Roberto Kriete, warned recently. Air transport in Brazil grew more than 120 percent in the past decade as more than 30 million people were lifted out of poverty and began to travel by air for the first time.

Source: AFP