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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><a
href="http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/12/06/america/LA_GEN_Brazil_Flight_Cancellations.php">http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/12/06/america/LA_GEN_Brazil_Flight_Cancellations.php</a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<h1><b><font size=6 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:24.0pt'>Brazil
lifts takeoff ban at 3 airports, but passengers face travel nightmares<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></h1>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><!-- /headline --><!-- subhead --><!-- /subhead --><!-- byline --><img
border=0 width=3 height=1 id="_x0000_i1025"
src="cid:image001.gif@01C7193A.753BF650"><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>The Associated Press<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>Published: December 5, 2006<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center;line-height:13.5pt'><font
size=2 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:11.0pt'><img border=0
width=3 height=1 id="_x0000_i1026" src="cid:image001.gif@01C7193A.753BF650"><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:13.5pt'><font size=2
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:11.0pt'><img border=0 width=123
height=3 id="_x0000_i1051" src="cid:image002.gif@01C7193A.753BF650"><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='line-height:13.5pt'><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on"><font
size=2 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:11.0pt'><!-- /article tools - narrow (used with span photos) --><!-- copy -->SAO
PAULO</span></font></st1:City><font size=2><span style='font-size:11.0pt'>, <st1:country-region
w:st="on">Brazil</st1:country-region></span></font></st1:place><font size=2><span
style='font-size:11.0pt'>: Authorities lifted a ban on takeoffs from three
major Brazilian airports Wednesday morning after fixing an air traffic
communications system that broke down a day earlier, prompting an unprecedented
wave of flight cancellations and travel chaos.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='line-height:13.5pt'><font size=2 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:11.0pt'>But lines were long at the airport in the capital of <st1:City
w:st="on">Brasilia</st1:City>, at the main airport in the large central city of
<st1:City w:st="on">Belo Horizonte</st1:City> and at the <st1:City w:st="on">Sao
Paulo</st1:City> airport that handles most domestic flights from <st1:country-region
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Brazil</st1:place></st1:country-region>'s
biggest city to all corners the country.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='line-height:13.5pt'><font size=2 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:11.0pt'>Brazilian airlines suspended ticket sales until the
situation is totally resolved and travelers who were forced to sleep in airport
terminals overnight are able to make it on to flights that had been scheduled
to depart Tuesday, <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Brazil</st1:place></st1:country-region>'s
Agencia Estado news agency reported.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='line-height:13.5pt'><font size=2 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:11.0pt'>Investors sold shares of <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Brazil</st1:place></st1:country-region>'s two largest airlines,
concerned about the financial impact on the companies. American depository
shares of No. 1 carrier Tam Linhas Aereas SA opened down 0.5 percent in
Wednesday morning on the New York Stock Exchange, or 14 cents to $29.21
(€22.01).<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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<p style='line-height:13.5pt'><font size=2 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:11.0pt'><!-- today in links -->Shares of Gol Linhas Aereas
Inteligentes SA, the nation's second largest airline, fell 0.8 percent, or 24
cents to $28.98 (€21.83), also on the NYSE.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='line-height:13.5pt'><font size=2 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:11.0pt'>On Tuesday night, Brazil's Civil Aviation Authority
halted virtually all takeoffs from the three airports because of a
communications system failure that reduced the number of radio frequencies air
traffic controllers use to communicate with pilots flying in some of the
busiest flight corridors of Latin America's largest country.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='line-height:13.5pt'><font size=2 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:11.0pt'>Milton Zuanazzi, head of the aviation authority, said
Wednesday that travelers were not in danger and that the takeoffs were
prohibited to ensure passenger safety, Agencia Estado said.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='line-height:13.5pt'><font size=2 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:11.0pt'>Authorities did not immediately identify what caused
the breakdown. But federal police discounted the possibility of sabotage,
saying the problem appeared to be technical and that they would only
investigate if asked by <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Brazil</st1:place></st1:country-region>'s
military, which runs the system, Agencia Estado said.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='line-height:13.5pt'><font size=2 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:11.0pt'>The aviation authority warned travelers to check on
flights with airlines before heading to airports and acknowledged that the
incident was <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Brazil</st1:place></st1:country-region>'s
most disruptive air traffic communications failure in history.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='line-height:13.5pt'><font size=2 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:11.0pt'>"There has never been a collapse like this,"
Zuanazzi told the Folha de S. Paulo newspaper, <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Brazil</st1:place></st1:country-region>'s largest.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='line-height:13.5pt'><font size=2 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:11.0pt'>It also came as most air travelers in <st1:country-region
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Brazil</st1:place></st1:country-region> have had
to deal with more than a month of serious flight delays sparked by a job
protest by controllers.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='line-height:13.5pt'><font size=2 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:11.0pt'>Following <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Brazil</st1:place></st1:country-region>'s worst-ever air crash
disaster in September, the controllers began following regulations to the
letter in a protest that significantly slowed operations and is having a
financial impact on Brazilian airlines.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='line-height:13.5pt'><font size=2 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:11.0pt'>Under the "work to rule" campaign, they have
refused to handle more than the limit of flights recommended under
international standards and are strictly observing times between landings and
takeoffs. The protest came amid complaints that Brazilian controllers are
overworked, underpaid and understaffed despite strong commercial flight growth
in recent years.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='line-height:13.5pt'><font size=2 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:11.0pt'>The commander of <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Brazil</st1:place></st1:country-region>'s air traffic control system
was subsequently dismissed late last month, though Defense Minister Waldir
Pires insisted that it was a routine transfer. The move came just days after
shares in Gol and Tam tanked because of continued flight delays that government
officials had said they would solve.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='line-height:13.5pt'><font size=2 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:11.0pt'>Authorities are still investigating whether actions by
controllers played a role in the Sept. 29 midair crash above the Amazon jungle
in which a Gol airlines Boeing 737 collided with an Embraer Legacy 600
executive jet, killing all 154 people on the Gol flight.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='line-height:13.5pt'><font size=2 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:11.0pt'>The pilots of the jet brought their plane down with no
injuries to the seven on board.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='line-height:13.5pt'><font size=2 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:11.0pt'>Brazilian authorities had prevented the two American
jet pilots from leaving the country as investigators probed the crash, but on
Tuesday a court ruled that they can pick up their passports and leave within 72
hours. They have been staying in a hotel fronting <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Rio de Janeiro</st1:place></st1:City>'s Copacabana beach for more
than two months.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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