Clock ticking on Brazil World Cup airport upgrades
Brazil is running out of time to complete all necessary improvements to airport terminals in readiness for the influx of World Cup visitors, aviation experts say.
Just 2 of the 12 host city airports have been finished so far, increasing the risk of overcrowding and travel delays for the expected 600,000 foreign soccer fans.
The World Cup tournament kicks off on June 12.
"People coming to Brazil are going to be shocked, especially Americans, by the how bad the airports are," said Paul Irvine, a travel agent in Rio de Janeiro.
"There won’t be any catastrophic issues but they will be chaotic," he added.
Brazil’s civil aviation minister, Moreira Franco said the airports will be able to cope with large World Cup crowds and ongoing construction work should not impact the flow of air travelers.
Several airports are scaling back expectations or taking temporary measures to get terminal buildings up and running in time.
A temporary canvas terminal roof will be used at Fortaleza airport during the World Cup, and officials confirmed that Belo Horizonte airport will be far from finished by the time the first ball is kicked.
"Other airports will probably have to come up with contingencies," said Carlos Ozores, of aviation consultancy ICF International.
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