Cautioned Urged in Brazilian Airspace

As the result of an air traffic control crisis prompted by the ExecAire/Gol crash in September, two European airlines have given crews orders to take special precautions by flying at the edge of air traffic lanes and taking other defensive measures in Brazilian airspace, a Brazilian newspaper reported Sunday. The report came a day after the country’s president resolved to solve the air traffic crisis. The airlines doubted the safety of Brazilian airspace. The Federation of International Air Traffic Controllers (IFATCA) reported the move to a Sao Paolo daily. The organization also seriously discussed rating the airspace as dangerous, a label normal used to describe the treacherous African skies. Instead it labeled Brazilian airspace "under suspicion" after the September 29 crash revealed that both GOL and ExelAire had been cleared to 37,000 feet. Brazil's air traffic has been mired in chaos since the crash as controllers, angry at being blamed for the crash, have staged work slow-downs to protest long hours and poor pay. The actions have caused air traffic snarls, airport closures and hundreds of flight cancellations.