SA Panel: Chaos in Congonhas raises debate about private plane on the runway

The chaos generated by the small plane in Congonhas opened a wound that has been bothering the sector for months.

Executives in the commercial aviation segment, which serves passengers on large aircraft, say that the presence of general aviation, a category that covers non-scheduled flights, of aircraft such as helicopters and private planes, needs to be rethought. The assessment is that this type of aviation is not compatible with the airport during peak hours and high demand.

And the problem tends to get worse with the expansion of slots planned for Congonhas. Industry executives say that small planes usually spend more time occupying the runway and are subject to different rules, so the ideal would be to concentrate them in infrastructures such as Campo de Marte, Catarina, Sorocaba, Jundiaí airports and time slots. in Guarulhos.

Another question in the industry is who will pay the bill for the cascading damage caused to airlines and passengers. According to a statement released by Abear (an association that brings together companies such as Latam and Gol) this Monday (10), the financial losses are estimated at millions of reais.

Sought by the SA Panel, Infraero and Anac did not respond about the costs triggered by the incident. Last month, Abear had already sent a statement to Infraero expressing concern.

“The restriction of small planes on the main runway of Congonhas, especially at peak times, is an old concern of Abear and its associates, which on September 29 sent a letter to Infraero recommending the definitive adoption of this measure, since the impacts caused by incidents on the main runway of a large airport impact thousands of passengers”, says Abear.

In a note, Infraero states that “this occurrence was carried out in accordance with the Brazilian Aeronautical Code, the Aerodrome Emergency Plan and other applicable aeronautical requirements”.

Joana Cunha with Paulo Ricardo Martins and Diego Felix