São Paulo will have the first VIP airport in South America

Concierge services, buttons, limousine, shoe shine, high-tech restrooms, children's area, heliport and space for pets will be some of the amenities offered by the air terminal of more than five thousand meters to be built inside the São Paulo International Airport , in Guarulhos, with rates starting at 150 dollars per person.

AEPM Brasil, a subsidiary of the Canadian firm AEPM International, this month signed a contract with GRU Airport, the concessionaire that manages the main São Paulo airport and one of the main airports in Brazil. The VIP terminal will begin operating in 2023 and will focus on commercial aviation, although they do not rule out serving segments such as private jets and will include a vertiport for urban air vehicles.

The new terminal will offer luxury services to domestic and international passengers, including an ergonomically designed business lounge, a soundproof children's area, a space for pets, a smoking lounge, a Sleep Lounge, ironing services, shoe shine , and bathrooms with high pressure showers.

Access to the new VIP area in Guarulhos will have a minimum cost of US$150, announced Fethi Chebil, president and CEO of AEPM, at a press conference. According to the company, the passenger will arrive at the terminal in a limousine, a bellman will be in charge of carrying his luggage and will help him check-in for the flight. Other services that already exist in Guarulhos will be offered in the new space, such as Duty Free stores, car rentals and the like. In the restaurant the dishes will be prepared by a renowned Brazilian chef.

The works will begin before the end of the year, and will last 18 months. "At the beginning of the project we will serve 75 passengers per day, a number that should increase to 200", estimated Chebil, about the project that will be the first of its kind in Brazil. The executive announced that agreements will be studied with companies - for example credit cards - that facilitate their clients' access to the exclusive air terminal, so that it is accessible to a greater number of passengers.

“The terminal is not only for the rich, but for those who want to have a different experience when traveling; São Paulo needs to have this type of service as it is the largest airport in the country,” Chebil told reporters. The planned investment will be around 80 million reais (about 15 million dollars), and the new space will be located in an area between Terminal 3 and the American Airlines and Latam Brasil hangars.