ATC Zero degree was activated: Airplanes do not land or take off in the affected areas
A failure at the Central America Air Control Center (Cenamer) in the Honduras caused momentary chaos in that area, preventing dozens of flights from peeling or grounding in several countries.
According to the Costa Rican newspaper, at least eight flights were initially prevented from taking off in Costa Rica, and disturbances were also recorded at Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.
The Costa Rica Aviation Directorate-General confirmed the interruptions in air traffic, and Juan Santamaría International Airport, the largest in Costa Rica, which serves the capital, San Jose, was one of those affected by the problem, which was in the meantime resolved by the sub-director of the Costa Rica Civil Aviation Directorate-General.
The problem caused the suspension of all coolings, namely international flights, throughout the region operated by Cenamer, with more than 2.5 million square kilometers.
This center is also responsible for the surveillance of radars and the management of all flow, so a technical failure makes the operation impossible
The deputy director of the Costa Rica Civil Aviation Directorate-General confirmed that the failure has affected several flights, adding that at question were problems in radars and frequency, which makes communication with appliances difficult and prevents effective air control, which is essential for the safety of operations.
“Given this situation, the contingency known as ATC Zero applies, which means there is no air traffic, aircraft must remain on land and flights are affected,” explained Luis Miranda, who shortly thereafter confirmed that the situation was resolved.
