Spanish airports operator Aena has strengthened its leadership team in Brazil to handle 11 new airports  under the auspices of new company Block of Eleven Airports of Brazil (BOAB).

Aena subsidiary Aena Desarrollo Internacional won the concession for the 11 airports* that includes São Paulo’s Cogonhas Airport in a public auction in August, taking the total number of airports in Aena’s Brazil network to 17.

Santiago Yus, CEO and General Manager of the ANB group (Airports of the Northeast of Brazil), which includes six airports operated by Aena since 2020, will become CEO of both ANB and BOAB .

Meanwhile, Joaquín Rodríguez Guerrero, Director of Valencia Airport (below), has been appointed General Manager of ANB and will continue leading the investment plan launched in the six airports in the northeast.

Both appointments are effective from 1 December.

An aeronautical engineer, Rodríguez possesses a master’s degree in Building Structures from the Polytechnic University of Madrid and has completed an IESE Management Development Program (PDD).

Almost his entire professional career has been spent in the airport sector, where he has held different positions of responsibility.

Javier Marín, Executive Director of Aena and General Director of Airports, will hold the presidency of ANB and BOAB.

Taking up the reins at Valencia Airport in place of Rodríguez is Antonio García Aparicio, Director of Fuerteventura Airport.

He will in turn be succeeded by Luis Sáez Avilés, Head of the Management Office at the Tenerife North Airport-Ciudad de La Laguna Airport.

The 11 BOAB airports will begin operating under the umbrella of the new Aena company, foreseeably, towards the end of the first half of 2023, says Aena.

Aena’s 17 Brazilian airports achieved traffic of close to 41 million passengers in 2019, equivalent to 19% of the air transport activity during that year in Brazil.

For more on Aena, click here.

*Congonhas Airport; Campo Grande Airport; Ten Airport. Cel. Aviador César Bombonato; Maestro Wilson Fonseca Airport; João Corrêa da Rocha Airport; Mário Ribeiro Airport; Carajás Airport; Altamira Airport; Mario de Almeida Franco Airport; Corumbá Airport; and Ponta Porã International Airport.