First upgrades opened in US$650mn Santiago airport expansion

Chilean President Sebastián Piñera inaugurated the first major installations to be completed under the US$650mn expansion plan for Santiago's Arturo Merino Benítez airport.

"Airport infrastructure is essential. It's the way we interact with each other, the way we interact with the rest of the world," Piñera said in a government release.

The new infrastructure involves a boarding lounge with five new double boarding bridges (10 in total), bringing the airport's current total to 28. These new facilities are expected to serve up to 392,000 passengers per month.

A second boarding lounge, which will add 12 new bridges, is expected to open next month.

Other works in the expansion include a brand new 175,000m2 international terminal that is expected to be finished by late 2020.

Aside from that, the concessionaire is working on extending the current passenger terminal from 110,000m2 to 119,000m2, increasing parking capacity by 4,100 spaces, including two buildings with three levels each and new buildings for police, among other tasks.

Once all works are completed, the airport's capacity will rise from 16mn passengers per year to 38mn, although public works minister Juan Andrés Fontaine has stated that further expansions will be necessary due to increasing demand.