Passengers on a flight to Congonhas, São Paulo, fell ill after turbulence caused by strong winds this Wednesday (12/10). The plane left Curitiba around 11:30 a.m. and arrived near Congonhas after an hour, but had to turn around and was diverted to Viracopos, Campinas, due to weather conditions. The plane landed without further complications at 1:06 p.m.
Passengers reported dizziness, nausea and episodes of vomiting during the trip. After disembarking, one passenger received medical treatment and was released around 3 p.m.
Viracopos received at least nine flights diverted from São Paulo due to weather conditions, seven from Congonhas and two from Guarulhos. According to the airport administration, there was no passenger congestion in the terminal.
Chaos at the airport
According to GRU Airport, which manages Guarulhos Airport, 31 planes were transferred to other destinations. Operations began to return to normal around 4:20 p.m. after weather conditions improved.
The worst scenario occurred at Congonhas Airport, where more than 120 flights were canceled, with 50 arrivals and 71 departures. Passengers queued for hours and questioned the lack of information.
“My flight is not on the sign, it does not say that it has been canceled, we have been waiting in line for a long time and there is only one person from the company to sort everything out,” said speech therapist Juliana Portas, 44.
Driver Alberto Santana, 65, left Salvador for Santa Catarina and said the plane had difficulty landing in Congonhas. “When we went down, we had to go back up, do everything again, to be able to land. Lots of wind.”
Administrative assistant Matheus Albuquerque, 32, said he arrived at the airport around 9 a.m. The flight to Rio de Janeiro was postponed twice, but was ultimately canceled. “I have been waiting in line for more than two hours to get a job, not knowing if I will travel today or not. »
Aene
In a statement, Aena said it had operated normally this Wednesday and that flights had been canceled “due to operational decisions of the airlines due to strong winds with gusts of more than 90 km/h, determination of air traffic control and adjustments of the airline network.”
“Aena recommends that passengers with scheduled trips contact airlines to find out the status of their flight,” the company adds.
According to Civil Defense, early in the morning, around 9 a.m., the Congonhas airport area recorded winds of 69 km/h. According to the agency’s latest update, the capital São Paulo had winds of 81.7 km/h at 11:20 a.m.
This Wednesday at noon, the metropolitan region of São Paulo had already received 514 calls for falling trees, according to firefighters.
According to Civil Defense, even far from the territory of São Paulo, the extratropical cyclone is large and intense enough to affect several regions of São Paulo.
Impacts on SP
According to Civil Defense meteorologist Willian Minhoto, the cyclone, although it formed in the southern region of Brazil, draws air from other parts of the country, channeling currents of warm and humid air from the north and central-west. The condition favors rain, thick cloud formation and thunderstorms.
In addition, Minhoto explained that the cyclone boundary is associated with the passage of a cold front which, as it advances through São Paulo, causes a drop in temperature, an increase in cloudiness and moderate to strong winds. The State suffers significant effects, even far from the heart of the phenomenon.
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A crisis office set up by Civil Defense and made up of leaders of energy concessionaires, firefighters, the Roads Department (DER), the SP State Social Fund, Sabesp, Artesp and Arsesp are working to monitor the cyclone and its possible consequences.
Forecast for Thursday (11/12)
- According to the Emergency Management Center (CGE), this Thursday (11/12) the rain should “completely” subside and the sun will appear between the clouds throughout the day, but the winds should still persist.
- Temperatures will vary between a minimum of 20°C in the morning and, in the afternoon, a maximum of 28°C.
- Air humidity is expected to drop slightly, with levels between 42% and 95%.
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