ANAC has authorized an increase from 49 to 87 weekly flights at the military airfield and 24-hour operation
Air Force Agency, by Lieutenant Gabrielle Varela
The Brazilian Air Force (FAB) has strengthened its partnership with the Ministry of Ports and Airports (MPor) so that Canoas Air Base (BACO) can receive more commercial flights. Following authorization from the National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC) to expand from 49 to 87 flights a week, BACO will now operate 24 hours a day, and the distribution of the new slots (landing and take-off times) should be carried out this Thursday (11/07) by ANAC.
Located just over ten kilometers from Salgado Filho Airport, which has been closed indefinitely due to the floods that have devastated a large part of the state, the landing and take-off site in Canoas is one of nine aerodromes chosen by the MPor to absorb flights that were operating at the main airport in the capital of Rio Grande do Sul.
“The base’s infrastructure continues to be available for commercial flights and remains in line with the base’s military operation, which is responsible for maintaining airspace defense and integration in the southern region of the country. The operational life of Canoas Air Base remains unchanged, we continue working and operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year, and more than ever supporting this calamity situation we have been facing,” said BACO Commander, Lieutenant Colonel Thiago Romanelli Rodrigues.
Now, the start of new operations depends on the airlines offering more flights and adjustments to the logistics of ground transportation of passengers and luggage, by the Concessionaire Fraport Brasil, between the Passenger Terminal at Salgado Filho Airport, in Porto Alegre (RS), and the Canoas Air Base.
In order to authorize new flights at Canoas Air Base, the time intervals between take-off and landing had to be reduced to 1.5 hours. BACO’s infrastructure also underwent improvements, implemented by Fraport and the Aeronautics Command.
The feasibility of commercial flights in Canoas began in May, after a debate involving federal government bodies and airline industry players, when the minimum emergency air network was established to serve the population of Rio Grande do Sul.
In the space of a few weeks and a lot of collaborative work on the part of the agents involved, the unprecedented and complex operation at a military base was authorized, a milestone for the Brazilian airline industry.
Photos: Sergeant Müller Marin / CECOMSAER – With information from ANAC