With the Olympics less than three months away, Rio’s Tom
Jobim International Airport unveiled an expansion.
The airport’s new $560 million South Pier has 26 jetways,
including three that are big enough to handle Airbus A380s, the world’s largest
passenger plane.
“All airport facilities have also been refreshed to offer
passengers a more diverse range of services and an enhanced customer experience,”
airport management firm Riogaleao said.
Opening Monday is an 86,000-square-foot duty free shop
run by retailer Dufry. The expansion also includes 65,000 square feet of lounge
space and more than 100 new stores, which will gradually be opened by August,
Riogaleao said.
Also coming online Monday is the Tom Jobim airport app,
with information on flight schedules, airport shops and restaurants and on
navigating the facility.
In June, Riogealeao will introduce bar-coded boarding
passes that can be accessed via mobile devices.
Tom Jobim officials expect to receive 1.5 million
visitors for the Olympics, which will be contested from Aug. 5 to Aug. 21.