Jul
24
Brazil returns to the limelight.
Filed Under Air Safety | 1 Comment
International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers Assns. said “numerous warning signs, multiple risks and relevant safety reports were ignored” by the Brazilian government prior to last week’s TAM A320 crash at Sao Paolo Congonhas and that air safety in Brazil “is currently compromised and is a danger to the traveling public.”
Citing ongoing ATC problems leading to extensive flight delays and cancellations, IFATCA President Marc Baumgartner yesterday encouraged civilian authorities to take over ATC oversight from the military and suggested experts from outside the country may need to be brought in to help. He said Brazil is “continuing to ignore internationally agreed standards on air traffic management and airport design.”
All is not well in Brazil. Rob Mark was almost prophetic when he made set these words out on his blog Jetwine. They are set in the context of the mid air collision a Gol Airlines Boeing 737 and a U.S. registered Embraer Legacy. The parallels and most probable causes are chilling.
“It’s time anyone who flies into Brazil – flight crew or passengers – begin asking the questions everyone is pretending don’t need to be mentioned.
How can Brazil gurantee the safety of their airspace today? Why did the Brazilian government arrest some senior air traffic control union officials when they tried to protest the state of the ATC system there? Why aren’t we treating Brazilian airspace the same way we do some third-world systems in Africa?”
When are we going to learn in this industry that if warnings come from multiple sources within the varied associated professions, you LISTEN! Trying to cover up and spread blame after the event does nothing to add trust and faith to the conscious of the traveling public. Everyone in the game, often instinctively, recognizes moves to cover tracks and slur the names of those least able to defend themselves as the vested interests begin to reign in their loose ends and point the finger.
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