Participating in the expansion of Tancredo are Singapore Changi, USTDA and Lufthansa.

The expansion of the current passenger terminal and the construction of a second passenger terminal to increase the airport's capacity to 12mppa are ongoing and are expected to be complete by 2012. A 600-metre extension to the landing and taking off lane will be completed during 2010 to allow operations by larger aircraft.

The state of Minas Gerais is taking the lead in developing the region and companies which locate within the zone can expect a number of fiscal and tariff benefits.

A $43.4 million expansion of the Gol Maintenance Center from its current 47,700sqm to 91,000sqm was recently completed and is expected to attract a network of the company's suppliers, allowing  the facility to maintain up to 80 Gol aircraft and 28 VRG Linhas Aèreas aircraft and generating some 650 direct and 500 indirect jobs.

In order to consolidate the growth of aeronautical industries within the vicinity of the airport, the state government, in partnership with the National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC), is developing a 780,000sqm Civil Aviation Pole training centre.

Designed to provide pilots and students up to PHD level with advanced training facilities, the Civil Aviation Pole will consolidate training programmes currently taking place at colleges and technical institutions in the vicinity under one roof.

The Civil Aviation Pole is being developed in partnership with colleges, airlines, maintenance and aircraft manufacturing companies. The idea is to create and develop a qualified work force for the entire aeronautical segment in the region.

Because of its location, some 38km from the city of Belo Horizonte, transport links are vital for Tancredo Neves Airport and have been a focus of development for some time.

It was previously noted that TNIA is very difficult to access for many of Belo Horizonte's largest and most important firms because of their location on the outer edges of the opposite side of the metropolitan area.

A new northern ring expressway is therefore being constructed from these commercial nodes to a major exchange near the airport.

In 2005, work began to substantially improve the main airport access highway (MG-010) from the city of Belo Horizonte and was completed in 2008. Dangerous intersections were replaced by a double-laned highway in both directions, which brought commuting time from the city to the airport down to 30 minutes.

By speeding up the access of major commercial clusters throughout the metropolitan area to the airport and reducing traffic congestion on other important arteries, the new northern ring road will also make Tancredo Neves and its suburbs a more attractive location for time-critical industries, which will generate additional air cargo.

The highway also offers direct connections between the airport and the state's diverse industries, including textile manufacturers in the Juiz de Fora and mining communities in nearby areas such as Contagem, Betim, Nova Lima, Pedro Leopoldo, Raposo, Rio Acima, Sabará, Santa Luzia and Vespasiano.

With action plans being initiated for a second terminal and future second runway, a number of firms have now begun to locate in the gateway's special economic zone.

In 2010, the state government, in partnership with the Spanish Government, through the Fondo de Estudios de Viabilidad (FEV) development agency, began feasibility studies for the extension of Belo Horizonte's metro system with a connection to the airport. The study will verify the best rail system to access the airport (subway, monorail, light rail, etc), considering the costs, the benefits, speed and passenger capacity.

The state government is also studying the feasibility and the best location for a multi-modal logistics platform surrounding the airport.

Elsewhere, new commercial developments are springing up in the airport's environs, fostering the beginnings of an airport city.

Since 2003, over 100 new electronics firms have located in the Belo Horizonte metropolitan area, many near the airport. Such development is expected to boost air cargo volumes in the years ahead and attract more suppliers to Tancredo Neves' evolving airport city.

The Linha Verde has also allowed for the convenient access to several developments including the construction of a new headquarters for the state government including the governor's palace.

A world-class resort with two official golf courses, horseback riding and an F1 racetrack in the Lagoa Santa area is also being developed. In terms of the airport's limited flight connectivity, INFRAERO stepped up to the plate again in 2005 by forcing almost all of the flights at Pampulha to move their operations to TNIA. The decision had a dramatic impact on traffic and air services.

Over 4.3 million passengers passed through Tancredo Neves International Airport in 2007 (an eleven-fold increase on 2004) and the gateway welcomed 55,491 aircraft movements - a 521% increase on the 10,650 flights handled at the airport just four years earlier.

The airport is not resting on its laurels, however, with the Minas Gerais State Secretariat for Economic Development working diligently to bring more freight forwarders and third party logistics providers to Belo Horizonte to reduce TNIA's air cargo 'leakage' and attract more international flights.

It has to date, been modestly successful in increasing international passenger services and international air cargo flights. TAP Portugal is offering five non-stop flights per week to Lisbon and TNIA now has air cargo flights to the US and various Latin-American countries.

Discussions are currently under way with major US, European and other airlines as it looks to further expand international services out of Belo Horizonte.

Tancredo Neves International Airport is now in rapid growth mode with cargo services developing a greater on-site presence.

For example, a large micro-electronic cluster has sprouted up just four miles from the airport. In addition, its rapid growth is attracting investment in the hospitality sector - a 200-room hotel opened in 2010 year and has recorded healthy occupancy levels. At least four other airport area hotel projects are in the works.

Understanding and addressing constraints of accessibility and connectivity have proved keys to this progress.

Another important state government action is the macro planning of a 20km radius from the airport and the planning of a high-tech corridor at the new ring road for Belo Horizonte (about 10 km from the airport). This planning will allow a Tancredo Neves aerotropolis to develop sustainably and in an organised way for the future.

Tancredo Neves' aerotropolis future is being planned into the next 30 years and the development is already noticeable with growth levels above the national average - the future seems to be bright and promising.