"Lula is on my side in the fight for Galeão," says Eduardo Paes.
Rio's mayor says the international airport needs domestic flights to become viable.
247 - The mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Eduardo Paes, gave an interview to journalist Hildegard Angel, from TV 247, in which he addressed various topics, from the situation at Rio de Janeiro's international airport to media coverage of tragic events and municipal education in the city.
One of the issues the mayor addressed was the importance of Rio de Janeiro's international airport, Galeão. He emphasized that the airport needs domestic flights to continue attracting international passengers.
"They are killing Galeão," said Paes. "Bolsonaro has never done anything for Rio, but President Lula is on my side in the fight for Galeão. Today, 60% of international passengers to Rio are arriving through Guarulhos. Lula knows that if Rio does badly, Brazil does badly."
Paes also spoke about his experience as mayor of Rio de Janeiro and about some of the tragedies that occurred during his term. He mentioned that the saddest day for him as mayor was the Realengo tragedy, in which an armed man stormed a school and killed 12 children. "The Blumenau tragedy is chilling," said Paes. "Is the media coverage exaggerated?" he questioned.
The mayor also discussed municipal education in Rio de Janeiro and the learning deficit that occurred during the pandemic. He said that education in the city is structured and that the goal is to increase the number of teachers working 40 hours a week. Furthermore, Paes stated that, during the pandemic, schools should have been the last thing to close and the first to reopen. "Today there is a learning deficit," said Paes.
Finally, Paes expressed his love for the city and his desire to continue serving as mayor of Rio de Janeiro. "If I could, I would be mayor of Rio for life," he said.