Brazil's Ministry of Infrastructure has published a public tender notice for legal advisors to assist the structuring of a concession to expand, manage and maintain Viracopos International Airport in Campinas, located in the south-east of the country.

The concession was awarded to a consortium of Triunfo Participações e Investimentos SA, UTC Engenharia SA and Egis in 2012 but is currently in serious financial trouble, with the concessionaire filing for bankruptcy protection in May last year.

However, the Civil Aviation authority has stated that it is committed to resolving the current concessionaire's issues, and will only proceed with a retender in the case of bankruptcy and official forfeiture. The tender launched this week is a preparatory, cautionary measure.

Should a full retender of the concession become necessary, it is anticipated that preparation would take around one year, meaning that propsective operators of the airport would be invited to bid in 2020.