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2006–2007 Brazilian aviation crisis

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FIDS at Brasília's Juscelino Kubitschek International Airport showing delayed flights following an equipment failure at CINDACTA I.
Passengers at Brasília International Airport inquiring about delayed flights.

The Brazilian aviation crisis was a crisis of Brazil's civil aviation system, characterized by massive flight delays and cancellations, air traffic controller strikes and safety concerns about Brazil's airport and air traffic infrastructure. It ostensibly started after the crash of Gol Flight 1907 in September, 2006, to January 2008. While the government has announced a series of measures aimed at mitigating its effects, no clear solution has been found.[1][2][3][4] In Brazil, the crisis has been dubbed "Apagão Aéreo" (Aerial blackout), an allusion to an energy crisis Brazil experienced between 2001 and 2002.

Brazil's air traffic control system

Brazil's air traffic control system is run by the Brazilian Air Force (FAB). While some approach controls and control towers may have civilian controllers, the vast majority are military non-commissioned officers supervised by commissioned officers (with the totality of ARTCCs being staffed by the military, under a department called Department of Airspace Control (Departamento de Controle de Espaço Aéreo).

CINDACTAs region of control (approximately).

The air traffic control centers are known by the acronym CINDACTA, or "Centro Integrado de Defesa Aérea e Controle de Tráfego Aéreo (Integrated Air Traffic Control and Air Defense Center). Four CINDACTAs are in operation, located in four different cities and each responsible for different regions of Brazil's airspace.

The use of military air traffic controllers for civilian traffic is not unusual, but has been deprecated in most developed countries. In the US, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) operates a wholly parallel system with that of the US Air Force and NORAD. This is also the case of Eurocontrol and each of its member nations' air defense systems. Brazil's use of an integrated command poses some unique challenges to the government. As members of the military, controllers are not allowed to form unions (such as the case of NATCA in the US) or to strike.

While the air traffic control system saw significant improvement with the implementation of SIVAM in the northern portion of the country, there were many warning signs that the system as a whole was heading towards an untenable situation. In 2003, the Brazilian Air Force warned of the need for upgraded equipment and additional funding. For three years, DECEA, the Air Force department in charge of air traffic control budget requests were denied.[5] The government's Tribunal de Contas da União (Union Accounting Tribunal), an agency similar to the US Government Accountability Office, issued a report after the crisis which echoed the FAB's concerns, stating that a lack of planning and underfunding of the air traffic control system by the federal government was to blame for the crisis.[6]

Gol Flight 1907

Rendering of Gol Transportes Aéreos Flight 1907 about to collide with a private jet
Main article: Gol Transportes Aéreos Flight 1907

On September 29, 2006, a Gol Transportes Aéreos Boeing 737-800 collided with an Embraer Legacy 600 over the state of Mato Grosso, leading to the loss of 154 lives in what was, at the time, the deadliest air disaster in Brazilian history. It's also the highest death toll of any accident involving a Boeing 737. The report on the crash issued by Brazil's Centro de Investigação e Prevenção de Acidentes Aeronáuticos (Centre for the Investigation and Prevention of Aeronautical Accidents, CENIPA) concluded that the Embraer pilots contributed to the accident with, among others, their failure to recognize that their transponder was inadvertently switched off, thereby disabling the collision avoidance system on both aircraft, as well as their overall insufficient training and preparation. CENIPA also noted that errors by the air traffic controllers contributed to the accident. [7][8]

The Legacy aircraft's transponder was found to have been off from 54 minutes before the time of the crash until 3 minutes after, when the crew turned it on again. Footage of the radar screens at the time of the incident reveals that the primary radar lost contact with the Legacy 28 minutes after Legacy's transponder being inadvertently turned off.[9][7] Following that, many technology and personnel issues were made public, showing the poor situation of Brazilian aviation's infrastructure and transforming the crash into a catalyst for the crisis.[10] Facing the possibility of being blamed for an accident which—in their opinion—could have been avoided by appropriate corrective measures, the air traffic controllers decided to take protest action.

Air traffic control chaos

A Brazilian Air Force 737-200, often used by the president on domestic trips, pressed into service for TAM flights during the crisis.

Following the Gol incident, the situation deteriorated rapidly, with controllers commencing a work-to-rule protest which culminated in massive flight delays and protests from passengers and airlines alike. The apex of the crisis occurred in December 2006. Due to a combination of equipment failures, understaffed ATC and the holiday travel season, travel at many Brazilian airports stopped altogether for some days.[11] With the airlines unable to clear the backlog of passengers due to the canceled flights, and under pressure to solve the crisis from the general public, the government pressed into service several Brazilian Air Force jets, including one of the president's own planes.

International organizations joined the protest by complaining of the work conditions experienced by the Brazilian air traffic controllers, citing long hours and low pay.[12] At the same time, two different congressional inquiries were established to look into the matter. The executive branch's own inter-ministerial work-group concluded that the issue could be partly solved by both demilitarizing the air traffic control system and reinvesting the user fees and taxes levied on aviation back into the national air traffic control system.[13]

On March 30, 2007, nearly 100 controllers walked out during a protest over working conditions.[14] The walkout occurred soon after President Lula left the country for a summit with US president George W. Bush. Lula was reported to have said he felt as if he had been "backstabbed".[15]

On July 21, 2007, a short-circuit at a communications relay shut down CINDACTA-4 for nearly 3 hours during the hours of 23:15 and 02:30. While this incident was relatively short-lived, its consequences were emblematic of the crisis as a whole: 44.7% of the following day's flights suffered delays or cancellations.[16]

TAM Airlines Flight 3054

Rendering of PR-MBK, the Airbus A320 used for TAM Airlines Flight 3054, skidding across the runway
Main article: TAM Airlines Flight 3054

On July 17, 2007, a fully-loaded TAM Airlines Airbus A320 aircraft ran off a runway at Congonhas-São Paulo International Airport, crashed into a warehouse and exploded, resulting in nearly 200 fatalities. The Brazilian press was quick to add this to a growing list of civil aviation woes, and pressed the government for changes. On September 31, 2009, more than two years after the accident, CENIPA announced the results of official investigations. The report shows that one of the thrust levers, which control engines, was in position to accelerate when it should be in idle, but it was not proved if there was mechanical or human failure as the cause of the accident. [17][18][19] In addition to the positions of the thrust levers, the report points several factors that may have contributed to the accident, as a high volume of rain on the day, with the formation of puddles on the runway, as well as the absence of grooving. The report does not blame the length of the runway as responsible for the accident.

Administration reaction

The administration's reaction began by an internal conflict between the military and civilian leadership on whether or not to negotiate with the air traffic controllers. Given their military position, they were not entitled to negotiate or press grievances outside their chain of command. The civilian government pressed for a pragmatic approach,[citation needed] while the military, with a view to guarding discipline, took a more hardline view.[citation needed] While the civilian government initially negotiated with the controllers, in June 2007, Lula's government sacked 14 military controllers and arrested 2 others for mutiny.[20]

With the public, the administration has been heavily criticized by sometimes insensitive comments. [citation needed] On June 9, 2007, asked by reporters what passengers should do while waiting for the delayed flights, the Minister of Tourism, Marta Suplicy, replied "relaxa e goza" ("relax and enjoy"), a sexual expression relating to coitus, which can also mean "not to care". Marta apologized officially on the same day, expressing regret over an "unfortunate" comment.[21]

Three weeks later, the Finance Minister, Guido Mantega, tried to minimize the crisis, by saying that the crisis was "the price of prosperity". He stated he believed the crisis was due to the "increase in the flow of traffic due to the country's prosperity."[22]

In July, 2007, after TAM Flight 3054's crash, a Rede Globo story reported that the TAM plane's right thrust reverser was inoperative at the time of the crash. A camera set up by Globo caught one of the president's top advisers, Marco Aurélio Garcia, inside the Palácio do Planalto, apparently celebrating with an aide immediately after watching the newscast, ostensibly due to the blame placed on the federal administration's policies for the crash. The gestures, which were colloquially understood as being obscene, were widely condemned in the media.[23] Relatives of those who died in the crash asked for their resignation.[24]

Ten months after the beginning of the crisis, on July 2007, President Lula made a statement on national TV, in which he acknowledged the existence of a crisis, and while did not offer specific measures to improve the air traffic control system, did commit the administration to solving some of the criticisms levied on Congonhas Airport.[25] During the following week, the President fired the Minister of Defense, Waldir Pires.[26] The new minister is former Supreme Federal Tribunal president Nelson Jobim.[27]

See also

References

  1. ^ Brazil Demands Solution to Aviation Crisis - New York Times
  2. ^ Anger grows over Brazil plane crash | World news | The Guardian
  3. ^ Al Jazeera English - News - No Survivors In Brazil Air Crash
  4. ^ Reuters AlertNet - FACTBOX-Brazil's deepening aviation crisis
  5. ^ Template:Pt iconFAB warns of crisis since 2004. O Estado de S. Paulo. Retrieved July 22, 2007.
  6. ^ Template:Pt iconBudget cut and lack of planning caused air crisis, says TCU report Agência Brasil. Retrieved July 22, 2007.
  7. ^ a b Template:En iconGol Flight 1907 Final Report, CENIPA. Retrieved June 11, 2009
  8. ^ Template:En iconPilots and controllers blamed for Brazil crash], AP on Fox News
  9. ^ Template:Pt icon[Flight 1907: CINDACTA radar screens depict tragedy] Rede Globo (via YouTube). Retrieved July 21, 2007
  10. ^ Template:En iconBrazilian aviation in chaos. Financial Times. Retrieved July 22, 2007.
  11. ^ Template:En iconFlights resume at Brazil airports BBC News. Retrieved July 21, 2007.
  12. ^ Template:Pt iconAir Traffic Control in Brazil worries NGO Folha de São Paulo. Retrieved July 21, 2007.
  13. ^ Template:Pt iconWork-group suggest demilitarization of air traffic control. G1.com. Retrieved July 22, 2007.
  14. ^ Brazil promises quick solution to aviation crisis. Financial Times. Retrieved July 22, 2007
  15. ^ Template:Pt iconLula: Controllers "stabbed me in the back." Josias de Souza, Folha de São Paulo. Retrieved July 22, 2007.
  16. ^ Template:Pt iconShort-circuit caused failure at CINDACTA-4, says FAB Folha de São Paulo. Retrieved July 22, 2007.
  17. ^ Template:En iconTAM Airlines Flight 3054 Final Report (PDF), Cenipa, October 27, 2009.
  18. ^ Template:Pt iconSem apontar culpados, Aeronáutica divulga relatório sobre acidente da TAM, Folha de S. Paulo.
  19. ^ Template:Pt iconFamiliares das vítimas do voo 3054 da TAM reclamam de relatório da PF, Globo G1 Notícias.
  20. ^ Template:En iconBrazil's deepening aviation crisis Reuters. Retrieved July 22, 2007.
  21. ^ Template:Pt iconMarta on the air crisis: "relax and enjoy" G1.com. Retrieved July 22, 2007.
  22. ^ Template:Pt iconMantega: air crisis is a signal of prosperity. Terra.com.br. Retrieved July 22, 2007.
  23. ^ Template:Pt iconLula aide apologizes for gesture after criticism. Folha de São Paulo. Retrieved July 22, 2007.
  24. ^ Template:Pt iconLula's aide gesture upsets victims' relatives. G1 Retrieved July 22, 2007.
  25. ^ Template:Pt iconRead in full President Lula's address to the nation. Folha de São Paulo. Retrieved July 22, 2007.
  26. ^ Template:En iconBrazil's defense minister ousted after air crash Reuters. Retrieved July 27, 2007.
  27. ^ Giraldi, Renata. Jobim diz que há problema estrutural no setor aéreo e promete soluções. Folha Online. July 26, 2007. Retrieved August 20, 2007.
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