Proverbial

As is also usually the case, the whole Congonhas’ situation keeps getting sillier. Denise Abreu, an Anac (National Aviation Agency) director said that nearby airports, such as Viracopos (in Campinas) and Cumbica (in Guarulhos), would only be capable of handling 30% of the traffic (.br) that would otherwise be operating in São Paulo. If that happens, she says, “we’ll call all carriers and redistribute their lines to other airports. There’ll certainly be much trouble”.

Further news says the judge’s rationale is to suspend operations with aircraft that use more than 80% of the runway during either landing or take-off. So far, that’s meant two Boeing 737 models (700 and 800) and the Fokker-100. He’s also considering a ban on the 737/400, but is waiting for further discussions with experts. Since the 737/300 and the Airbus 319 and 320 have been cleared to continue operations, this means that Gol and OceanAir will be the most affected (of Gol’s 65 airplanes, 56 are 737s, mostly 700s; and half of OceanAir’s fleet is made of Fokker-100s).

Both Infraero, Anac and the Air Force say that Congonhas’ main runway - which is due to be renovated this year - is safe for all aircraft in its category. But Deputy Attorney General Fernanda Taubemblatt says that even though she hasn’t been officialy notified of the ruling, she’s happy because by “removing these airplanes there’s a lesser risk of skidding and accidents”.

Anac says it will appeal the decision, and that it’s also worried about ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization), which is set to do an audit in Brazil this year following the accident with a Gol 737 that killed 154 people last year, and could lower the country’s category.