A video of the channel “Aviation Guarulhos JPD” shows a pilot warning the control tower of Guarulhos Airport, in São Paulo, About the presence of drones in airspaceon the night of Wednesday (11).
According to the PM, terminal officials called the police around 8:30 pm reporting that in a region that impaired the operation of the airport.
In the images, you can hear an aircraft communicate the drone control tower at 9:27 pm: “Right in the short final, there’s a guy with a drone. I saw and passed to the right of our wing. I thought I was going to have to bust“.
Watch the video below:
A CNN He found that the landings in Guarulhos were suspended immediately at 9:27 pm and returned only at 10:50 pm. The approximations to the airport were paralyzed for almost 1h30.
Communication between the control tower and the aircraft lasted hours. In a moment, at 11:03 pm, you can hear the phrase: “In this position, the last report was on the left where this big courtyard is … It was in this locality where the three drones were reported“.
Already the Takeoffs were suspended between 10:41 pm and 23h18 and again between 23h28 and 23h41. The PM reinforced her patrol around the terminal, but no suspects have been arrested so far.
In the video recorded by the YouTube channel, it is possible to hear the moment of the release of the takeoffs at 11:17 pm. “Already released the takeoffs, the track is free.”
The main suspicion, according to preliminary information from the PM, is that the drones were being used to Monitor flights that would carry people linked to drug trafficking.
For safety, several flights were diverted to other airports in the state of São Paulo, such as Viracopos (Campinas), and even to neighboring capitals. A LATAM flight was suspended, and more than 20 company operations were impacted.
In a statement, GRU Airport said it momentarily suspended landings and takeoffs due to the presence of drones at the scene. Immediately, the competent authorities were called and Operations are already normalized.
Flights delay more than 10 hours
The presence of drones in the largest airport in Latin America caused the deviation and delay of dozens of flights.
Passengers report long hours of waiting, reschedule, lack of assistance from companies and uncertainty about the next shipments. Many still sleep on the floor or on the benches of the terminal, without access to proper power or clear information.
Information Security Analyst Brener Garcia, 34, born in Belo Horizonte and resident in Dublin, Ireland,
He left Dublin on the morning of Wednesday (7am local time), made a connection in the United States and, upon arriving in Brazil, was informed that the flight to Confins, scheduled for 9:35 am Thursday (13), had been rescheduled for 5:55 pm- also because of the presence of drones.
“I’m tired, I just wanted to get home, and I don’t even know if the 5:55 pm flight will be maintained or will also be canceled”Brener told the CNN.
What the airlines say
In a note, LATAM reported that assisted passengers As determined by the National Civil Aviation Agency (Anac) and regretted the disorder caused.
Gol said that, due to the temporary suspension of landings and takeoffs, Two flights had to be canceled and another 10 were alternated to nearby airports. According to the company, most of these aircraft managed to return to Guarulhos after refueling and normalization of operations.
The company also said that all impacted customers are receiving the support provided for in Anac’s 400 resolution and stressed that All measures adopted prioritized security.
Already Azul noted that the flight AD2774 (Cuiabá – Guarulhos) had to switch to Ribeirão Preto, where it was replenished before returning to the state capital. Flight AD6073 (Belém – Guarulhos) alternated for Viracopos, where passengers landed. The company regretted the inconvenience and stated that such measures are necessary for Ensure the safety of operations.
