World Cup 2014: Brazil opens new airport terminal just in time

Brazil's busiest airport, Sao Paolo, has opened a new international terminal just in time for the World Cup.

The new terminal at Guarulhos has been under construction since February 2012.

Around 600,000 foreign visitors are expected to fly to the city for the World Cup, which begins on June 12.

Lufthansa, Swiss Airlines and Portuguese TAP were the first to run operations at the new terminal of South America's major air hub.

United Airlines, Air Canada and China Airlines are among the companies that will move in over the next few weeks.

Brazil has recently been under attack for running behind schedule on its World Cup promises to upgrade its infrastructure plans. Some projects have been cancelled and others will only be completed after the tournament ends.

Officials vowed to upgrade outdated terminals when they bid for the World Cup in 2007.

But Sao Paulo's airport acknowledged its 47-acre (192,000 square meters) terminal won't operate on full capacity until September, when it will handle 80 percent of the airport's international traffic.

Some of the new technologies such as a self-service luggage check-in and electronic gates at the immigration checkpoint were expected to ease the flow of passengers at departures and arrivals in Sao Paulo during the football competition. But they won't be ready until later this year, officials said.

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