The crash of a TAM Airbus A320 at São Paulo’s Congonhas airport has caused a furore in Brazil, with the government accused of underfunding the country’s air infrastructure.
The accident on July 17 was blamed on the short runway at the downtown domestic airport and on inadequate precautions for wet-weather operations following resurfacing.
The aircraft crashed following prolonged rain, skidding off the runway into a four-storey building and killing 199 people.
The runway had been reported as slippery by other pilots, and an aircraft had skidded off the it the day before.
Preliminary reports suggest there may also have been a problem with the TAM aircraft, which eyewitnesses said landed too fast.
The main runway at Congonhas has been closed indefinitely, causing the wholesale cancellation of domestic services, with pilots refusing to use two back-up runways.
The crash was the second major air disaster in Brazil in 10 months. A Gol Boeing 737 went down last September, killing 154, after a mid-air collision with a US private jet.
The International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers warned that air safety in Brazil was “currently compromised”.
Agents with customers booked on domestic Brazilian flights should contact the tour operator or relevant carrier.