Runway Reduction Allows For Runout Areas

Two months after the fiery crash of a TAM Airlines A320 on landing at Congonhas Airport in Sao Paulo, Brazil, the airline said Thursday recent changes announced by Brazil's Minister of Defense, Nelson Jobim, concerning runway reductions at Congonhas by 300 meters to establish runout areas will not have much effect on the airline's operations at the airport.

Starting this weekend, landings and takeoffs by the airline's Airbus A319s and A320s will be done exclusively using the longer of two parallel runways at Congonhas.

The A319 Airbus will continue to operate at Congonhas without restrictions under dry runway conditions, according to the airline, and with what TAM calls "minimal" restrictions for takeoff from wet runways.

TAM has 15 planes of this type, seven of them for the Sao Paulo -- Rio de Janeiro shuttle service.

The Airbus A320 will also continue to land and take off as usual, using the main runway (now 5380 feet, or 985' shorter than before, to accomodate runout areas) when it is dry. When the runway is wet, there will be weight limitations for landing and takeoff. TAM has 62 A320s in its fleet.

According to preliminary estimates by the airline, only two percent of TAM flights at Congonhas could be affected by the new runway configuration.

FMI: www.tam.com, www.infraero.gov.br