|
Congonhas/Sao Paolo International Airport |
|
|
Congonhas/Sao Paolo International Airport Tries to Improve Safety MarginsCongonhas/Sao Paolo International Airport is a Brazilian airport that is
based in Sao Paolo city in the state of Sao Paolo. There are two other
airports that also operate in Sao Paolo city as well, but Congonhas/Sao
Paolo International Airport is considered the busiest commercial airport in
Brazil as of 2005 (the year when it was able to process 17,500,000
passengers total.) Congonhas/Sao Paolo International Airport is situated
15.6 miles away from Sao Paolo itself.
Problems afflicting the airport
The name of Congonhas/Sao Paolo International Airport was derived from the
name of the plant that used to be quite prevalent in the area where the
airport was constructed. This airport now handles short-distance and
regional domestic flights only, with some 1000-to-1500-mile flights also
added to the mix. The airport has to contend with its long-term problem of
congestion since it has to process too many flights and too many
passengers. The congestion at Congonhas/Sao Paolo International Airport led
to the construction of the Sao Paolo-Guarulhos International Airport in
1985 so that the latter could absorb some of the flights (including
transatlantic routes.) Despite the addition of the newer airport,
Congonhas/Sao Paolo International Airport still has to find a way to
relieve more congestion at present.
Another prevalent problem of Congonhas/Sao Paolo International Airport is
that the runways tend to be too slippery for many incoming aircraft. As a
result, several accidents have occurred due to water accumulation on the
runways - the most recent was in July 2007, involving a TAM Linhas Aereas
aircraft (where all 187 passengers and crew died) despite the fact that the
main runway underwent repaving that same month prior to the accident.
Congonhas/Sao Paolo International Airport will attempt to make air travel
safer for aircraft by offering only regional flights and departures for Rio
de Janeiro's Santos Dumont Airport while cutting down on runway slots
provided. As a consequence of these new safety policies, landing aircraft
will be imposing less gross weight on the runway.
The latest solution to address the problems of Congonhas/Sao Paolo
International Airport is the planned construction of another commercial
airport somewhere in Sao Paolo, though the precise location still has to be
decided upon.
Carriers that serve Congonhas/Sao Paolo International Airport
The airport is presently used as a major hub by the biggest Brazilian
carriers, namely, Varig, Gol Transportes Aereos, and TAM Linhas Aereas.
Other airlines that use the airport are TRIP Linhas Aereas, Pantanal Linhas
Aereas, OceanAir, and BRA Transportes Aereos.
Transportation services at the airport
Congonhas/Sao Paolo International Airport offers both short-term parking
and long-term parking options to passengers.
If you want to find appropriate means of transportation to get into Sao
Paolo from the airport, you have a choice between bus service, taxi
service, or car rental service. The air-conditioned buses will take you to
the main hotels serving the airport, stops at the regional Congonhas
Airport, and also heads for the town center as well - with fare generally
hovering at R$12 per person. You can find the bus stop beside the taxi
stands. Before you get on a taxi, you need to secure your fixed-price
ticket from one of the Main Hall booths first. Those who use credit cards
can pay at the booth while those with cash can just ask for their ticket
then pay directly to the taxi driver. Some car rental companies operating
at the airport are Localiza and Hertz (among others.)
 |
South America 
Subscribe to this comment's feed
