Operations at Porto Alegre’s Salgado Filho International Airport continued on 2 July despite a water-pipe rupture that caused parts of the terminal ceiling to collapse and flooded the domestic departure hall. Concessionaire Fraport Brasil immediately isolated sections of the third and second floors, switched off electricity in affected zones and deployed maintenance crews. No injuries were reported and arrivals and departures proceeded without delay, but several retail outlets were closed and passengers were rerouted through makeshift corridors. The incident comes just weeks after winter storms damaged roofs at secondary Brazilian airports, raising fresh questions about infrastructure resilience as climate-related extreme weather becomes more frequent. For travel managers, the takeaway is to build slack into itineraries involving Porto Alegre over the next 48 hours while clean-up and safety inspections continue. Airlines advised passengers to arrive earlier due to modified access routes to security screening. Ground-handling firms noted that the flooding did not reach baggage belts or IT rooms, averting system outages that could have rippled across Brazil’s southern air network. Fraport said a forensic engineering team will determine why the PVC pipeline ruptured only five years after the terminal’s renovation. The company reaffirmed its R$330 million capex plan for 2026-27, which includes drainage upgrades and a new remote-stand concourse aimed at accommodating projected traffic growth once nearby Gravataí auto plants resume full production.
Source: Correio do Povo
