Congonhas airport, in the South Zone of São Paulo, was crowded with passengers on the morning of this Monday (13). The atypical movement is a reflection of the terminal closing for more than two hours on Sunday night (12) after a drone flew over the site and affect flights.
The drone deflected landings, canceled flights and disrupted connections from hundreds of passengers. The problem affected the operation of the terminal between 8:15 p.m. and 10:40 p.m.
Most of the passengers checking in this morning were staying at hotels in the area after the flight was canceled.
“The flight was to be 21h40, we were told 23h. They only paid for the flight, we had to pay, “said commercial manager Bianco Fattori.
The businessman Edegar Coelho was also harmed by the closure of the air terminal. “We do not receive information, everything is mismatched”
Infraero said that it activated the Military Police to try to locate the remotely piloted aircraft and who controlled it. The PM used the Eagle helicopter and the Federal Police (PF) tried to locate it by the ground, according to the Brazilian Air Force, without success.
Due to the temporary closure, the airport’s opening hours were extended until 1 am (the terminal usually receives landings and departures from 6 am to 11 pm).
About 35 flights that landed in Congonhas were diverted to other airports, such as Cumbica (Guarulhos), Viracopos (Campinas), Ribeirão Preto and other states, but the departures were not interrupted.
Pilots from two Latam planes radioed the drone, which was near the southern head of the runway (Jabaquara) and flew over the region for about 30 minutes, according to an Aeronautics official.
Rules
The National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC) approved in May the regulation for the use of drones. According to the agency, anyone caught using drones in disagreement with the rules can respond to administrative, civil and criminal proceedings.
In the case of this Sunday, the operator can be arrested when located. One of the rules provides for detention in cases where the equipment places vessels or aircraft in danger or poses a direct risk to the life or health of others.
Latam
In a statement, Latam said that 9 flights from the company to / from Congonhas were canceled and 13 were diverted to Cumbica (Guarulhos), Viracopos (Campinas), Ribeirão Preto, Confins (BH) and Galeão (Rio).
According to the company, the passengers of the flights diverted to São Paulo airports will be sent to the capital of São Paulo by land and those to BH and Rio will have the aircraft refueled and will return to Congonhas.

Photo: Reproduction / GloboNews
Source: G1