By REUTERS
Published: November 22, 2006 New York Times
SÃO PAULO, Brazil, Nov. 21 (Reuters) — Brazil’s air force commander told frustrated air travelers on Tuesday that he would smooth out snarled air traffic before the holiday season, one day after 40 angry passengers marched onto a landing strip to protest a 10-hour delay in the city of Curitiba.
“We have enough staff for the end of the year, and passengers don’t need to worry,” the commander, Gen. Luiz Carlos da Silva Bueno, said at a public Senate hearing on delays that have forced travelers to sleep on tile floors and have forced politicians to remain in the capital, Brasília, during weekends.
The air force runs Brazil’s air traffic control system, which has been thrown into chaos this month by controllers staging work slowdowns over pay and staffing levels.
In addition, 10 traffic controllers who were on duty during a fatal air crash in September have been suspended, making the workloads even heavier for remaining controllers.
On Tuesday, nearly a quarter of flights were delayed about an hour.
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November 22, 2006 at 4:58 pm