A suspected fire at the Decea building in Congonhas led to the evacuation of the APP-SP control center on Thursday morning (9), halting operations at São Paulo's main airports and affecting about 8,000 passengers. Operations resumed after the precaution, with no injuries or equipment damage. Anac president Tiago Faierstein confirmed it was smoke, prompting preventive evacuation.
The São Paulo Approach Control Center (APP-SP), located at the Southeast Regional Airspace Control Center inside Congonhas Airport, was evacuated on the morning of April 9 due to smoke in a Decea building area, under the Brazilian Air Force (FAB). APP-SP manages flight transitions at Guarulhos, Congonhas, Campinas, and São José dos Campos airports, organizing the 'queue' of aircraft, as explained by aeronautical engineer Adalberto Febeliano.
"Não houve nenhuma pane, isso não é verdade. O que ocorreu é que apareceu uma fumaça em uma área do prédio do Decea e, por precaução [...], os funcionários foram orientados pelo Decea a deixar o prédio", said Anac president Tiago Faierstein. Decea stated in a note there was a "temporary interruption of air operations due to an operational technical problem," but aircraft were safely sequenced and activities resumed.
About 8,000 passengers were affected, with reports of prolonged waits inside aircraft and cancellations. Newlyweds Tony Araújo Facundes Junior and Ana Marina Felício Facundes waited over two hours on a plane at Guarulhos before their flight to Rio Branco was canceled, arriving only on Saturday. Other passengers like Fábio Andres Patino and Jucilene Amaral faced similar delays. Airlines GOL, Azul, and Latam are providing rebooking and assistance.
Ports and Airports Minister Tomé Franca mentioned an initial gas leak. Anac is considering extending Congonhas' hours to mitigate effects.
