Rio de Janeiro, March 29 (IANS): Brazil has unveiled "Operation Air", a plan to attend to the nearly 1.5 million air passengers expected to arrive for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games in August.
The plan, which covers 39 airports, led by Rio's two airports and others within a 200-km radius of the Olympic Village, also extends to the Paralympic Games that will follow in September, reports Xinhua.
Officials estimate the nation's airports will see the arrival of some 90,000 passengers and up to 1,000 planes a day, including commercial and charter flights, especially for the opening and closing ceremonies.
The 1.5 million passengers include delegations of athletes from around 200 countries and regions, 100 heads of state and 32,000 journalists. Special ramps and other facilities will be available for some 4,000 paralympic athletes.
"At the infrastructure level, Rio de Janeiro is very well prepared and equipped to attend to air transport during the Olympic Games," the deputy minister of the Presidency's Aviation Secretariat, Guilherme Ramalho, told reporters on Monday.