The aircraft that were stuck at Salgado Filho Airport, in Porto Alegre (RS), due to the floods that hit the state began to fly again.
This Saturday (8), eight aircraft took off, according to Fraport, the concessionaire responsible for the airport.
Among them is the PT-RQK plane, which had been at the airport complex for more than a month, according to owner and pilot Fábio Borille, who claims to have made the first takeoff flight from the location since the flooding.
The takeoff took place at noon this Saturday (8) and was recorded by the Câmeras Aeroporto Porto Alegre BrAmigos page. During the flight, the pilot thanks the authorities for their efforts and says via radio: “As a Gaucho, this takeoff symbolizes the beginning of the construction of our airports.”
The aircraft had made its last flight on May 1st, when it landed at Salgado Filho Airport amid heavy rain. In an interview with CNN, Fábio Borille reports the fear of losing the vehicle due to waters that, according to him, reached 1.5 meters at the location. “When the level dropped, we started work on preserving the engines and removing water from the cylinders,” he says.
One aircraft must still take off in this first phase of the operation to remove 9 planes, according to the National Civil Aviation Agency (Anac). In total, 47 aircraft were stranded due to flooding at the airport, which had its operations suspended since May 3rd.
No expected return to activities
At the Esfera Forum, the Minister of Ports and Airports, Silvio Costa Filho, addressed the situation at Salgado Filho Airport, in Porto Alegre. In his statements, he highlighted that at the right time the federal government will make a decision on when the airport will reopen.
“At the right time, the ministry will speak objectively and officially about Salgado Filho airport. What we have are statements from A and B that do not in fact match the reality of the deadlines”, said the minister to CNN during the Esfera Forum, which brings together politicians and businesspeople in Guarujá, on the coast of São Paulo.
Silvio Costa Filho reported that the airport terminal was cleaned last Friday and that diagnoses are being carried out to assess the damage. “We are carrying out all diagnostics at the airport to find out what was damaged or not,” he explained.
When asked, the concessionaire Fraport, the company responsible for managing the site, said that delivery in December is a possibility, as long as the interventions on the runway do not result in the need for a total reconstruction, and it is possible to have all the airport’s equipment available to start the operation. .
Earlier this week, Fraport said the airport could reopen in December 2024.
*With information from Renan Fiuza
Source: CNN Brasil
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