Three flights were canceled and eight had to be diverted to other locations after a strong smell of smoke was felt this morning (31) at São Paulo International Airport, in Guarulhos, in Greater São Paulo. Operations were suspended at the air terminal for about half an hour.
Nav Brasil, the company responsible for the airport’s control tower, reported that landing and takeoff operations had to be suspended between 10:54 and 11:31 in the morning for safety reasons, after employees smelled “a strong smell of smoke.” “After an inspection by firefighters and confirmation that it was safe to resume operations, they were restarted at 11:31,” the company said in a statement.
According to GRU Airport, the concessionaire that manages the airport, the Fire Department was called by the Control Tower team at around 11 a.m. due to smoke in the facilities. However, no fire or safety risk was detected, GRU Airport reported. At this time, the terminal is operating normally.
This is the second time this week that the airport has faced problems. Last Thursday (29), a interference of radio frequency signals in the airport’s navigation system caused flight cancellations and delays. The National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel) reported that the source of the interfering signal was coming from the city center of Guarulhos.
