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### Viewing cable 06BRASILIA2680, BRAZILIANS FEAR MORE AIRPORT CHAOS OVER CHRISTMAS WEEKEND

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Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
06BRASILIA2680 | 2006-12-27 10:07 | 2011-07-11 00:00 | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | Embassy Brasilia

`

    VZCZCXRO4393
    PP RUEHRG
    DE RUEHBR #2680/01 3611007
    ZNR UUUUU ZZH
    P 271007Z DEC 06
    FM AMEMBASSY BRASILIA
    TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7718
    INFO RULSDMK/DEPT OF TRANSPORTATION WASHDC
    RHMFIUU/HQ USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL
    RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
    RUEANHA/FAA WASHDC
    RUEAYVF/FAA MIAMI ARTCC MIAMI FL
    RUEWMFU/TSA HQ WASHINGTON DC
    RUWDQAB/NTSB WASHINGTON DC
    RUEHRI/AMCONSUL RIO DE JANEIRO 3602
    RUEHSO/AMCONSUL SAO PAULO 8904
    RUEHRG/AMCONSUL RECIFE 6043
    RUEHBU/AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES 4491
    RUEHSG/AMEMBASSY SANTIAGO 5998
    RUEHMN/AMEMBASSY MONTEVIDEO 6665
    RUEHAC/AMEMBASSY ASUNCION 5857
    RUEHPE/AMEMBASSY LIMA 3300
    RUEHBO/AMEMBASSY BOGOTA 4054
    RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 3552
    RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ 5071
    RUEHQT/AMEMBASSY QUITO 2083
    RUEHPO/AMEMBASSY PARAMARIBO 1211
    RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC

` `

    UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 BRASILIA 002680

    SIPDIS

    SENSITIVE
    SIPDIS

    TSA FOR VICKI REEDER, SUSAN HASMAN

    SIPDIS
    AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES PASS TSA ATTACHE JOCHOA
    FAA FOR C. TERE FRANCESCHI, MAYTE ASHBY
    CA FOR OVERSEAS CITIZENS SERVICES
    DOD FOR OSD
    NTSB FOR JOHN CLARK, BOB MACINTOSH

    E.O. 12958: N/A
    TAGS: EAIR OTRA CASC ECON BR
    SUBJECT:  BRAZILIANS FEAR MORE AIRPORT CHAOS OVER CHRISTMAS WEEKEND

    REF: A) BRASILIA 2531
         B) BRASILIA 2315
         C) BRASILIA 2564

    ¶1. (SBU) Summary:  Air travelers in Brazil fear a difficult holiday
    season after inclement weather in southeast Brazil, overbooking by
    the country's principal carrier-TAM, malfunctions in TAM computers,
    and unscheduled maintenance required on six TAM airlines aircraft
    caused generalized flight delays to ripple throughout the Brazilian
    airports from December 21 to 24.  On December 21, over 43% of 1,227
    flights nationwide were delayed by at least a half hour, and 47
    flights were canceled outright.  These difficulties were but the
    latest in a series of breakdowns in Brazil's civil aviation system,
    beginning with the September 29 mid-air collision between Gol flight
    1907 and an ExcelAire executive jet.  Finger pointing in the
    accident investigation, the Air Traffic Controllers' (ATCs')
    work-to-rule operation, and a massive communications equipment
    failure on December 5 all suggest Brazil's civil aviation system is
    in serious difficulties.  Portions of the GoB have admitted it has a
    problem, caused primarily by too few air traffic controllers but
    also budgetary woes, outdated equipment and institutional
    weaknesses.  Institutional infighting and blame-shifting, however,
    continue.  Varig's collapse last year exacerbated the problem,
    because the remaining carriers have not reassumed all of its routes
    and are stretched to overcapacity on existing flights.  For example,
    according to news reports, TAM applied the normal approximately 20
    percent empty-seat rate from business travel that occurs during the
    rest of the year to the holiday travel season.  If true, then this
    was a grave mistake, as holiday travel in Brazil both results in
    fully booked planes, and fewer cancellations.  President Lula
    instructed the Brazilian Air Force to assist TAM with planes to
    accommodate the overflow.  The civil aviation authority, ANAC, has
    announced plans to audit TAM's records.  End Summary.

    ¶2. (U) From December 21 to 24, air travelers in Brazil were
    subjected to a fresh round of airport chaos when inclement weather
    in southeast Brazil, combined with TAM Airline's pulling of six A320
    aircraft from service for unscheduled maintenance, computer
    malfunctions, and overbooking created a ripple effect throughout the
    country's already stressed civil aviation system.  By 5 p.m.
    December 21, over 43% of the 1,227 flights nationwide had been
    delayed by over a half hour, many by several hours.  47 flights were
    canceled outright.  In an effort to alleviate the situation, the GOB
    made available six Brazilian air force planes, including Lula's
    former equivalent to Air Force One, to carry stranded TAM
    passengers.  Passengers' holiday spirit quickly went by the wayside
    in the face of continued delays, cancellations and lack of
    information.  One Argentine family reportedly protested their
    flight's cancellation with a sit-in on the Brasilia airport tarmac.
    Meanwhile, one passenger in Rio de Janeiro was arrested after
    becoming violent, and rowdy travelers in Sao Paulo's Guarulhos and
    Congonhas airports required the authorities to call in the police to
    protect TAM check-in personnel.  Econoff  waited in Brasilia's
    airport for more than six hours on Friday, Dec. 22 for her visiting
    spouse to arrive on a TAM connection from Sao Paulo.

    Blackout, Possible Sabotage
    ---------------------------

    ¶3. (U) Much more serious was the complete shutdown for several hours
    of all flights in and out of the Brasilia-based CINDACTA-1 air
    traffic control region (responsible for portions of the crowded

    BRASILIA 00002680  002 OF 004

    southeast and center-west of Brazil) on December 6, when its
    six-year-old, Italian-manufactured communications equipment
    inexplicably failed.   Data published by the National Civil Aviation
    Agency (ANAC) indicated that 122 flights were cancelled while 436
    flights, or 36 percent of the total among country's 67 major
    airports, faced substantial delays (the data is limited to flights
    up to 5 p.m.)  Brasilia's airport, the hardest hit that day, saw 86
    flights depart with substantial delays and 10 flights canceled.
    Defense Minister Waldir Pires initially stated to the press that the
    Air Force suspected there had been sabotage of the communications
    equipment in CINDACTA-1.  However, the Ministry later walked back
    that claim, stating that there was no sabotage and instead blaming a
    technical failure in the system.  (Note: While Brazil transferred
    overall aviation regulation responsibility from the Air Force to the
    civilian ANAC in 2005, the Air Force retained control over the ATC
    system and the majority of air traffic controllers are uniformed Air
    Force personnel.)

    ¶4. (U) On December 8, Air Force Commander Carlos Bueno admitted
    during a televised press conference that Brasilia's communications
    equipment was "rather worn out" because the Air Force does not have
    personnel trained to maintain it properly.  However, later during
    that same press conference, he recanted that statement.  Bueno also
    announced his decision to restructure and decentralize Brazil's air
    traffic control regions, 80% of which is currently concentrated in
    Brasilia.

    Defense Minister Takes Fire
    ---------------------------

    ¶5. (U) Embattled Defense Minister Pires reportedly accused the
    Brazilian Air Command of failure to properly maintain the air
    traffic control equipment.  According to Pires, the military should
    have acted preventively to avoid the chaos that began on October 26.
     He went on to say that the government is concerned that a solution
    be found to prevent a new civil aviation crisis.  He further
    guaranteed that "all will go well" in the airports during the
    Christmas and New Year holidays.  Pressed by journalists about the
    need for changes in the Air Traffic Control system, Pires would say
    no more than that the problems would be thoroughly analyzed and
    necessary measures taken.

    ¶6. (U) The National Accounts Tribunal (TCU, a rough equivalent to
    the U.S. Government Accountability Office) gave the Administration
    and the Congress a study detailing the problems Brazil's ATC system
    faces.  The TCU study criticized in particular inadequate funding of
    the ATC system and poor management of the personnel and equipment in
    the system.  Pires predictably took issue with the TCU's claims
    arguing that there was no lack of resources.  "It's not for a lack
    of resources" he said, "in 2005, we did not have a single funding
    sequestration.  We have been within budget for the last three
    years."

           Chart - Civil Aviation Funding Levels
                    Millions of Reais

              Budget        Budget
     Year    Requested     Approved    Difference  Sequestered

     2004      715.1         468.73      246.37        0
     2005      667.12        495.05      231.0        59
     2006      575.42        530.25       45.17        0

    BRASILIA 00002680  003 OF 004

     2007      611.36        485.59      125.77       n/a

    Source: Correio Brasiliense

    The Presidency Props up Pires:  Pyrrhic Victory?
    --------------------------------------------- ---

    ¶7. (U) President Lula's Chief of Staff, Dilma Rousseff, joined the
    public fray to defend the government's performance, saying that
    according to the information she had, there had been no cuts in the
    Air Force's civil aviation budget.  She cited investment of 3
    billion reais (approximately USD 1.44 billion) for the expansion of
    eight airports.  And in the midst of his clash with the TCU, Pires
    received the support of the Brazilian Vice President Jose Alencar,
    who declared to the press that "The Minister of Defense is really
    devoted. . .Waldir Pires is one of the best Brazilians we have.  He
    is giving all his effort to resolve this problem."

    Pre-Christmas Guarantees
    ------------------------

    ¶8. (U) The credibility of military and civilian leadership has been
    severely strained as officials  have publicly promised that the
    situation would improve-only to see it worsen.  The week of December
    11, Air Force Commander Bueno guaranteed in a conversation with
    senators that there would not be a crisis in Brazilian airports
    during Christmas and New Year's, when the number of passengers
    increases substantially.  Bueno said that to avoid delays, the Air
    Command may even require controllers to stay on their air force
    bases for the weekend, ready to be called in should events require,
    as was done during the Proclamation of the Republic Holiday on
    November 15.  He also said that retired and new controllers were
    being called to work to increase the troops at this year-end.
    Milton Zuanazzi, president of the Civil Air Command (ANAC), agreed,
    saying that the ATC difficulties would be resolved by February, but
    that in any event, during the holiday season the controllers would
    not be overloaded because there will not be a substantial increase
    in the number of flights, although planes would be absolutely full,
    explained Zuanazzi.  In the wake of the December 21-24 chaos, public
    confidence in the civair apparatus is at an all-time low.

    Old Equipment, Poorly Paid Controllers . . .
    --------------------------------------------

    ¶9. (SBU) Air Traffic Controllers are both protagonists and
    antagonists in Brazil's current aviation drama. A journalist and
    Brasilia section chief for a major news daily who has been reporting
    on the ATC saga recently told Econoff that much of the ATC equipment
    being used is 10, 12, 15 and, at certain airports, even 20 years
    old.  The journalist related that his ATC friend, an Air Force
    sergeant, is constantly "worried that his electric or gas bill can't
    be paid, that his son's school fees are behind schedule" due to his
    low salary.  The journalist surmised that this certainly has to
    impact the focus and concentration of the largely enlisted military
    ATC staff.  He and another Globo reporter agreed with a
    well-respected commentator's recent assessment, that  it is
    unacceptable that the country's most important air travel control
    center is using such outdated equipment and does not even have
    experts on 24-hour duty for emergency maintenance.

    ¶10. (U) Much of the chaos can be traced to air traffic controllers'
    work-to-rule operation, instituted in the aftermath of the tragic
    September 29 mid-air collision between Gol Airlines flight 1907 and

    BRASILIA 00002680  004 OF 004

    a Legacy executive jet.  Under the work-to-rule operation,
    controllers reduced -- to the international standard -- the number
    of flights each controller handles.  Controllers also have been
    fighting for better salaries and work conditions, and may have
    provoked a partial paralysis of flights -- which won them some
    promises of increased pay and a restructuring of the personnel
    system for controllers

    . . . and Ghosts in the Machine
    -------------------------------

    ¶11. (U) A December 20 article in business daily Gazeta Mercantil
    indicated that there are approximately 30 phantom radar tracks
    displayed per day on the CINDACTA-1 radar system.  According to
    Brazilian Air Force Brigadier-Major Ramon Borges, deputy director of
    the Air Force's Department of Air Traffic Control, CINDACTA 1's
    integrated radar system synchronizes images from various radar
    stations to prevent blind spots or the superimposition of different
    aircraft -- but a faulty radar unit has generated false readings
    that spread to the entire system.  "We have an average 30 false
    radar tracks a day on Brasilia's radar (out of a total of 2,500
    flights tracked)," Borges is quoted.

    ¶12. (SBU) Comment: The GoB's most pressing civair issue is dealing
    with its controllers, who demand better pay and working conditions
    (i.e. fewer flights per controller).  Training new controllers will
    take time, however, and higher salary demands have been difficult to
    meet within the constraints of the military system to which the
    controllers belong.  Despite the black eye it has been given in the
    press, however, it is unclear whether the Air Force is willing to
    give up responsibility for air trafficcontrol.  Unfortunately, with
    the system under stress, there is little capacity to deal with
    issues such as equipment failures or weather-related problems.

    SOBEL

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