A frenetic two years of investment, expansion and improvement has handed Salvador’s Deputado Luis Eduardo Magalhães airport a much-needed lifeline. Bernardo Andrade provides an update on the gateway to Bahia after a promising start from its new French operators
It has been two years since VINCI Airports took control of Salvador/ Deputado Luis Eduardo Magalhães. In that time, the French airport operator – which also holds majority stakes at facilities including London/Gatwick – has transformed the north-eastern Brazilian hub, paving the way for major growth while enhancing its green credentials.
The current French administration is a return to the airport’s origins as Toulouse-based aircraft manufacturer, Latecoère, built a landing strip at Lauro de Freitas, close to the current airport site in 1925. Known as Santo Amaro do Ipitanga, the facility was used by the company’s aircraft for technical stops while en route from Toulouse to Buenos Aires, Argentina.
While the airport was initially seen as a halfway house, the city it served had plenty to offer. Salvador is one of the Americas’ earliest colonial settlements, having been founded by the Portuguese in 1549, and was the Brazilian capital until 1763 w…
