By David Learmount

Analysis of US general aviation safety trends in 2007 shows an increase in manoeuvring accidents against the previous year. This accident category continues to dominate GA fatal crashes, as it has since 1999, according to the latest Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Nall report.

But the most lethal mistake pilots can make, says Nall, is a decision to continue a visual flight rules trip into instrument meteorological conditions. The chance of a resulting accident being fatal is 82%.

Manoeuvring accidents, says the report, are normally the result of pilot misjudgement while carrying out "high-risk manoeuvres that demonstrate questionable pilot judgement [and] others are attributable to deficiencies in basic airmanship". In 2007 they represented 20.2% of fatal crashes, but only 6.7% of all accidents.

Nall attributes a "fatality" index to each category, indicating the likelihood of death in the event of any given type of accident, and "manoeuvring", at 56%, is the second most lethal after weather-related crashes.

Weather-related accidents mostly involve a pilot decision to continue a VFR trip into IMC, says the Nall report.

Landing accidents are the most common GA mishaps, representing 30.5% of all incidents, but causing only 3.2% of fatalities. These are mostly the result of low experience or lack of currency. More modern aircraft types and a greater availability of basic simulation do not appear to be having a beneficial effect on this, says Nall.

Overall, says Nall, the accident rate was fairly steady at 6.7 per 100,000 flying hours, but it is up compared with 2006's rate of 6.06 and 2000's best ever of 6.03. Meanwhile, fatal accidents have been following a downward trend for the past three years, reaching 1.18 fatal accidents per 100,000 flying hours. The best rate was 1.11 in 1999.

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By Mary Kirby

American Airlines has opted to install Aircell's Gogo in-flight Internet system on more than 300 domestic aircraft over the next two years, as a growing number of operators commit to keeping their passengers connected during flight.

The Oneworld alliance member began trialling Gogo last summer on its 15 domestic Boeing 767-200s operating primarily on nonstop flights between New York JFK and San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Miami.

The trial gave management the ability to study customers' willingness to take advantage of high-speed, onboard connectivity and to gauge how the service performed technically in a variety of settings over an extended period of time.

"We are pleased that the results were positive and that we have decided to move forward," says American executive VP-marketing Dan Garton in a statement.

American will install the Aircell system on its domestic Boeing MD-80 and Boeing 737-800 fleets, beginning with 150 MD-80s this year.

The air-to-ground (ATG)-based service, which turns an American flight into a Wi-Fi hotspot, cannot support connectivity on overseas flights, however.

American has previously said it expects to equip its international fleet with satellite-based connectivity if its trial of Aircell's air-to-ground Internet service results in successful domestic fleet-wide equipage.

"My team has been working on connectivity for many, many years and we've been talking to all the connectivity providers. If this is very successful domestically, then we're certainly going to look at satellite solutions for our international fleet as well," American manager of in-flight communications and technology Doug Backelin told ATI last year.

Aircell is eager to accommodate American should the US major make such a request.

Company CEO Jack Blumenstein recently revealed that the firm is working with a major satellite player on a hybrid solution to offer airlines an overseas solution. A technical trial of the solution could occur "in the next year or so", he says.

Aircell's other customers include Delta Air Lines and Virgin America - which have opted for fleet-wide equipage - as well as United Airlines, which will shortly begin a trial of Gogo.

Air Canada is also expected to soon begin offering Gogo to passengers on US-bound flights, with plans to eventually offer the service across its domestic fleet.

A decision last week by Industry Canada to invite companies to apply for an air-to-ground (ATG) license in the country brings Air Canada closer to its goal.

Canada's Bell Mobility has long been considered a strong contender for the ATG license. Whoever is the winner, however, Aircell intends to partner with that firm.

"Aircell can't participate in the auction since it has to be won by a Canadian organization. We would partner with the winner," says an Aircell spokesman.

He adds: "We are obviously excited about this news and are looking forward to working with the new licensee to bring Gogo in-flight Internet to Canadian airline passengers."

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By Craig Hoyle

The Austrian air force demonstrated the air policing capabilities of its new Eurofighter Typhoons on 27 March.

The service used the arrival of flag carrier Austrian's first winglet-equipped Boeing 767-300ER for the exercise. On its return to Vienna from undergoing modification in the USA, OE-LAE was intercepted by a pair of Typhoons launched from Zeltweg air base.

The flight culminated with the fighters - which are armed with Diehl BGT Defence IRIS-T short-range air-to-air missiles and Mauser 23mm cannon - simulating a forced landing for the aircraft at Zeltweg.

Both images © Markus Zinner/BMLV

Austria's defence ministry says its quick reaction alert (QRA) fighters were scrambled 73 times in 2008, identifying aircraft that had entered national airspace without authorisation or lost communication with air traffic controllers.

Assigned to the 1st Fighter Wing, Austria's Typhoons have provided QRA services since mid-2008, and its air force has a goal of having aircraft in the air within 7min of a threat situation arising.

Vienna's Typhoon fleet will total 15 single-seat Tranche 1 aircraft, nine of which have been delivered to date, according to Flight's MiliCAS database. Its acquisition is valued at an estimated €1.6 billion ($2.1 billion).

Zeltweg, the subject of a more than €100 million modernisation programme linked to the Eurofighter purchase, will host the AirPower 2009 air show on 26-67 June. The free event was last staged in 2005, when it attracted around 250,000 spectators.

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By Brendan Sobie

Very light jet shared ownership and management company Jet-Alliance aims to accelerate its expansion by acquiring the 28 Eclipse 500s previously operated by defunct air taxi operator DayJet.

Jet-Alliance chairman Randall Sanada says the California-based company aims to conclude by the end of May the acquisition of the VLJs on behalf of some of the owners who were left holding unfulfilled orders when Eclipse Aviation filed for bankruptcy in November.

Sanada says these owners stand to receive nothing for their 60% downpayments, given their unsecured creditor status in Eclipse Aviation's bankruptcy proceedings, but under the proposed deal would receive an ex-DayJet aircraft after paying the final 40% to United Technologies through Jet-Alliance.

Sanada says Jet-Alliance worked with United Technologies, which was DayJet's primary lender and holds a lien on the 28 aircraft, to structure the complex deal and has already secured the necessary approvals from DayJet's trustee. DayJet ceased operations in September. Sanada says Jet-Alliance is now seeking approval from Eclipse Aviation's lender and is confident the deal will close in 30-60 days.

© DayJet

Sanada concedes this is not a perfect solution for the owners as they will have to pay the full new aircraft price for a used aircraft that will require upgrades. In addition, some owners will receive only a half share for an additional 20% payment or a one-quarter share for an extra 10% payment, but Sanada claims this is better than receiving nothing for the 60% already paid.

"We have got a substantial group of individual deposit holders who aren't getting aircraft because of the bankruptcy," he says. "Jet-Alliance isn't able to deliver on the failed promise of Eclipse Aviation, but we've come up with a partial solution for them to come up with something."

If the deal is concluded it will result in an instant expansion of Jet-Alliance's fleet from six to 34 VLJs. Sanada says Jet-Alliance manages four Eclipse 500s and one Cessna Mustang. Its first Embraer Phenom 100 is scheduled for delivery in mid-April. Its Phenom 100 is the 23rd to roll off the production line and was purchased early last year from two owners who originally acquired the aircraft from Eagle Creek Aviation.

Sanada says Jet-Alliance also has commitments to add a Mustang and acquire one of the first HondaJets. He adds that Jet-Alliance is discussing acquiring aircraft from several Eclipse 500 owners. He says there is a "substantial secondary market" for the more than 259 Eclipse 500s that were delivered before the New Mexico-based manufacturer's bankruptcy. Jet-Alliance is also talking to several owners who have ordered Phenom 100s.

Jet-Alliance specialises in acquiring VLJs from up to four owners and chartering them when they are not in use. For each VLJ it partners with an air carrier who is fully responsible for operating the aircraft and helps with selling charters. Jet-Alliance is also partnered with jetAVIVA, which helps with aircraft sales and marketing charters along with other duties including handling deliveries.

"We endeavour to double or triple the time the aircraft is operated and generate charter revenues to offset some of the fixed costs," Sanada says. He adds that demand to own and charter VLJs continues to increase despite the downturn in the economy as users of larger jets look to trade down to more economical and environmentally friendly VLJs.

"Look at the stigma private jets have had since the big three automakers showed up in Congress with their Gulfstreams," he says. "It should have been a VLJ they showed up in."

Jet-Alliance was established in 2000 and took delivery of its first aircraft, the very first Eclipse 500 to roll of the production line, at the end of 2006. Sanada says charters began as recently as July. "We're now just bringing up our marketing efforts to let customers know about availability of aircraft," he says.

Jet-Alliance offers only charters from six airports in southern California, but has been looking at expanding into northern California and eventually eastward. Sanada says if the acquisition of the 28 ex-DayJet Eclipse 500s is concluded, this expansion will be accelerated and Jet-Alliance will quickly have nationwide coverage as the new owners are based throughout the USA.

He says Jet-Alliance is ready to add several air carriers based throughout the country as new partners. "There are others that have made bids on the aircraft, but they're pretty much partnering with us," he says.

Jet-Alliance has a lot at stake in the deal as it had deposits on three unfulfilled Eclipse 500 orders. Sanada, who personally owns a stake in the very first Eclipse 500, has been actively involved in the drawn-out process of trying to secure a new investor in Eclipse Aviation's assets as he sits on the bankruptcy committee that represents Eclipse owners. "That's been my full-time job since November, entertaining all the proposals, and I'm not even chairman," he says.

Sanada confirms a group of owners have set aside funds to bid for the assets should other offers fall through. But he says restarting production is not likely in the near future and the focus for now is on supporting the existing fleet.

"We don't believe now is the time to restart production," Sanada says. He adds that while the owners have not found a "formula" for restarting production if they assume ownership of the assets, resuming production could be pursued later if a new investor, in particular an experienced manufacturer, can be secured.

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By Leithen Francis

Indonesia's government has introduced a new law requiring scheduled airlines to have at least ten aircraft by early 2012.

Directorate General of Civil Aviation director of airworthiness and aircraft operations, Yurlis Hasibuan, says the government has introduced a new law requiring that all scheduled airlines, operating aircraft with more than 30 seats, must have at least ten aircraft.

He says the new requirement comes into effect on 12 January 2012 and that scheduled carriers that fail to meet the deadline will have to become charter operators or close down.

He also says carriers must own some of its aircraft and will be unable to rely solely on aircraft leases to meet the new requirement.

This new law is designed "to encourage the airline operators to be good in business and to be safe and become a big company".

"We don't like to have an airline that only has one or two aircraft," he adds.

Indonesia today has around 15 scheduled carriers and around seven need to acquire more aircraft to have a fleet of ten, says Yurlis.

He also says carriers might merge in an effort to meet the new requirement.

Indonesia's regulator in recent years has been introducing new requirements in an effort to improve the country's air safety and get Indonesia off a European Union blacklist that bars all Indonesian airlines from operating to Europe.

Indonesia has also had in place a requirement that all new airlines start with at least two aircraft.

Yurlis says scheduled airlines that launch after 12 January 2012 will need to start with a minimum of ten.

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By Brendan Sobie

IATA expects passenger demand to fall further and warns it could take longer for a recovery to emerge compared to previous recessions.

Last week IATA reported a 10% drop in international RPKs for February and widened its loss estimate for 2009 from $2.5 billion to $4.7 billion. IATA chief economist Brian Pearce says the association also has adjusted downward its forecast for 2010 as it sees a "weakened and delayed recovery".

"The speed of recovery will be a lot slower than in the past," Pearce told reporters at a briefing today at IATA's Washington office.

He adds in a "normal" cycle, there would be a sharp rise in cargo traffic figures from late 2009 or early 2010 and a sharp rise in passenger figures about six months later. But this recession is expected to be different although it is difficult to predict exactly how long it will be before there are sharp increases in traffic figures.

Pearce would not provide a loss or profit estimate for 2010, saying this estimate will not be made public until May or June. But he says the new 2009 estimate of a $4.7 billion loss is worse than the 2010 figure as IATA sees some stabilization and "weak growth" taking place next year.

"We do expect to see some recovery in 2010," Pearce says.

But he adds given the expected slower than usual pace of the recovery IATA does not expect "stable growth" to resume until 2011.

"We see 2011 [as the return] for a more normal growth rate," Pearce says.

A key factor behind IATA's projection of a slow recovery is the lack of available credit. "It seems commercial banks in spite of the bailouts are not in position to loan freely," Pearce says.

He adds this affects consumer demand as well as the ability of airlines to recapitalize. He says it is critical for governments to provide sufficiently large stimulus packages because "the private sector is not there to spend".

He points out some economists believe stimulus packages valued at up to 10% of GDP are required. US President Barack Obama's package is only worth about 5% to 6% of GDP.

"Our recovery is critically dependant on governments producing stimulus packages of sufficient amounts," Pearce says.

Pearce adds it is also critical that governments do not become protectionist. "We need world trade," he says. "We need developing nations to recover as well."

If governments do not spend enough, the risk is job losses will continue and consumer confidence will continue to decline, which in turn affects travel demand.

IATA is now projecting a 12% drop in industry revenues this year to $467 billion and a 6% drop in international RPKs. Pearce says IATA's new forecast has total RPKs in 2009 and 2010 at 17% below the levels they were projected to be in its pre-crisis forecast.

Pearce warns the fact the recovery could take longer than usual to surface could put airlines in a precarious position. He says airlines with the most cash "are in the best position because we face a weakened and possibly delayed recovery". He adds most airlines outside the US "have entered the downturn in a worse cash situation than other downturns".

US carriers are in relatively better position. "They have shrunk domestic capacity so much they are in a more robust situation to ride out the downturn," Pearce says.

The only silver lining is the relatively low price of oil, which IATA believes has already saved many airlines from going bust. IATA expects airlines will pay on average $50 per gallon of fuel this year, compared an average of $99 to $100 last year.

"If oil prices spike up again that's a problem," Pearce says. "We're expecting oil to remain relatively low."

He adds airlines typically see their unit costs increase in a downturn because they do not have the ability to lower fixed costs. But with fuel prices expected to stay low, this downturn will likely be different.

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By Brendan Sobie

IATA expects the cargo market to begin showing signs of a slight pick-up with freight volumes dropping about 10% over the next few months, compared to the 22-23% declines recorded in recent months.

IATA last week reported a 22% year-over-year drop in international FTKs for February. This follows 23% declines in January and December, but IATA chief economist Brian Pearce does not expect such precipitous drops to continue.

"There may be some light at the end of the tunnel with air freight," Pearce told reporters today during a briefing at IATA's Washington office. "We seem to be reaching a floor."

He adds the cargo market "is no where near the point" where a full recovery is expected but "we're looking more at 10% drops" in monthly freight volumes.

Pearce says the amount of freight carried by IATA members has been relatively flat the last few months. He expects there could be a slight pick-up in this figure over the next few months but FTKs will still be roughly 10% below last year's levels.

IATA began recording year-over-year drops in FTKs last June but for the first three months - June, July and August - the drops were less than 3%. In September and October the drop reached 8% and in November it reached double-digit figures at 14%.

Pearce says IATA bases its projection that cargo traffic will go "sideways" rather than down the rest of this year partly on surveys which show shippers are not as unoptimistic as they were a few months ago. Inventories are also at record lows and cargo carriers including FedEx have recently indicated they are seeing some stabilization in the market.

Pearce, however, warns IATA's cargo projection could prove to be wrong. He says while cargo figures appear to be holding at a shelf at the bottom there is always a possibility there could be another fall from this shelf.

If IATA is "wrong about cargo" Pearce says it may have to revise again its 2009 loss projection. Last week IATA revised its projected losses for the year, estimating its members will collectively incur $4.7 billion in losses in 2009 compared to its previous projection of $2.5 billion. But Pearce says actual losses could be even worse if the cargo market doesn't start to pick up as expected.

Pearce calls the drops recorded in the cargo market the last three-to-four months unprecedented and says they were driven by drops in manufacturing. He says manufacturing output in five of the world's major economies - Japan, the US, Germany, South Korea, and Taiwan - have all declined by 15% to 30%. He explains manufacturing is a "pretty fast indicator of what's happening in the economy" and these drops "reflect what is happening with international trade".

Pearce adds: "Since November and December there's been extraordinary fall in air freight [FTK]. They are down pretty much one quarter, which we never saw before."

While IATA sees cargo figures having bottomed out in February Pearce says "that's not the case with passenger travel". IATA passenger volumes were down 10% in February, surpassing the 6% drop recorded in January and the 5% drops recorded in November and December.

"Passenger travel continues to be declining," Pearce says. "We haven't seen yet an end to this process. Hopefully it will happen sometime soon."

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By Lori Ranson

Hawaiian Airlines plans is introducing meals for purchase on long-haul flights in addition to complimentary meals the carrier already offers.

The airline last year completed a three-month trial of selling meals, and now is offering various options to customers for $10 on long-haul flights from domestic US markets to Hawaii.

Hawaiian VP of inflight services Louis Saint-Cyr told ATI at the Phoenix Sky Harbor Aviation Symposium last week that the carrier is not advertising for purchase the meals yet.

Saint-Cyr says Hawaiian's cashless cabin that's been in place since 2005 will effectively help the carrier manage demand for buy-on-board meals as the carrier will know immediately "how we are doing", and if the right amount of inventory is present

He declines to give revenue projections based on Hawaiian's test last year.

However, during a panel discussion about buy-on-board United Airlines SVP marketing Dennis Cary said the carrier used to spend $100 million on free food for economy passengers about five years ago. Since transitioning to buy-on-board offerings Cary explained United now essentially breaks even earning roughly $20 million while spending $20 million on the offering.

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By Victoria Moores

German scheduled and charter airline Blue Wings has suspended flights after hitting financial problems.

Dusseldorf-based Blue Wings, which launched services in 2003, operates nine Airbus A320s primarily linking Germany with Turkey and Russia. It has a further 20 A320 family aircraft on order

A Blue Wings spokesman confirms that the German CAA (LBA) has suspended the airline's operating licence.

According to Flight's ACAS database, Blue Wings owns all but two of its nine A320s. One of the remaining aircraft belongs to Jetscape. The owner of the final aircraft is unknown.

© TT/AirTeamImages.com

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By Jennifer Michels

The FAA kicks off its 34th Annual Aviation Forecast Conference today in which it will reveal its expectations that airline profits and traffic for the most part in 2009 will fall sharply from last year, will plateau in 2010, and not take off again until 2011.

In its 2009-2025 forecast being released today, FAA’s predictions are tied closely to assumptions by the Obama Administration of when the economy will flatten out, and to rates of inflation assumptions. The administration believes the economy will begin to turn around at the end of this year, and start growing again in 2010, whereas other analysts and forecasters are more pessimistic.

The forecast assumes U.S. real GDP will increase from $11.7 trillion in 2008 to $18.3 trillion in 2025, which is an average annual rate of 2.7%. World GDP is forecast to grow at a slightly faster pace — 3% — from $50.1 trillion to $82.8 trillion.

Total mainline air carrier and regional enplanements are expected to rise from 757.4 million in 2008 to 1.1 billion in 2025, an average annual rate of 2.2%. Domestic enplanements are expected to decrease 7.8% this year, and then grow at an average annual rate of 2.7% for the remaining 16 years. International enplanements are forecast to decrease 2.5% this year, and then average 4.3% growth per hear. Total system enplanements are expected to hit 1 billion in 2021; an earlier forecast pegged that at 2016.

Regional airlines are expected to see enplanements fall 4.5% this year, but then grow 3.5% per year, reaching 257.6 million in 2025, up from 153.5 million this year. Regional jets should increase from 1,655 aircraft last year to 2,249 in 2025, with all of the increase coming in the 70- to 90-seat category.

Cargo revenue ton miles should be down 7.6% this year, but will then see an average growth of 4.2%. FAA predicts that cargo RTMs for U.S. commercial carriers will be down 8.3% domestically and 7.2% internationally. The cargo fleet should increase from 949 aircraft last year to 1,584 in 2025.

Total passengers to and from the U.S. on any airline is projected to fall 0.9% this year. The average annual rate of growth from last year to 2025 is expected to be 4.2%, with Asia/Pacific growing the fastest at 5.2%, followed by Latin America at 4.3%, the Atlantic at 4% and Canadian transborder 3.2%. The growth in passenger traffic in Asia is being seen mostly in China and India, and in Latin America, it is in Brazil and Mexico.

Photo: Benet Wilson

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Com o objetivo de esclarecer eventuais malentendidos, a EADS confirmou nesta segunda-feira (30), que está totalmente comprometida com a construção da aeronove de transporte militar A400M, que será o avião militar mais completo e de melhor performance para as próximas décadas.

O Grupo europeu reafirmou que as condições do contrato firmado em 2003 não contribuem efetivamente para o bom desenvolvimento do programa, primeiramente devido a um calendário irrealista, e em segundo lugar porque um contrato de natureza comercial não é adaptável à realidade de um programa militar que envolve grandes riscos tecnológicos.

A EADS espera que o período de moratória de três meses proposto pela OCCAR (Organização Conjunta de Cooperação em Assuntos de Armamento) seja usado pelos parceiros do programa para conduzi-lo de volta à sua trajetória em condições aceitáveis por todas as partes.

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O Sindicato dos Pilotos de Aviação Civil (SPAC) - que levou a cabo uma paralisação no sábado - faz um balanço de 80 por cento de adesão à greve.

Segundo o sindicato, dos 60 pilotos da Portugália destacados a 19 de Março para voarem no sábado, apenas 12 estiveram a trabalhar.

O SPAC diz por isso que dos 45 voos programados foram cancelados 31. A mesma fonte refere que a 16 de Março, a PGA tinha programado a realização de 63 voos.

O mesmo comunicado revela ainda que a operação levada a cabo em dia de greve foi feita com recurso a “trabalho precário”, segundo indica o texto. “A companhia fez alterações às escalas e pôs pilotos com contrato a termo a voar em dia de greve”, acusam os pilotos da PGA afectos ao SPAC.

Em causa estão as negociações do Acordo de Trabalho, acordo esse reclamado pelos pilotos há dez anos. A paralisação chegou mesmo a ser desconvocada, mas o impasse negocial levou a que à última da hora os pilotos tenham mantido a greve.

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O Centro de Congressos da Alfândega, no Porto, vai ser palco de uma conferência do ACI (Airports International Council, entidade que reúne dados de vários aeroportos mundiais).

Trata-se do “18º ACI Europe Trading Conference and Exhibition”, que vai decorrer entre 20 a 22 de Abril.A organização estará a cargo da ANA - Aeroportos de Portugal, sendo esperados cerca de 450 especialistas na área do retalho aeroportuário, provenientes de vários diversos aeroportos mundiais, distribuídos por aproximadamente 40 países.

Em 2008, esta conferência do ACI decorreu em Verona.

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A companhia regional vai reforçar as ligações entre Lisboa, Porto e Ponta Delgada, durante a Páscoa.

Nesse sentido, a Sata vai oferecer 31 voos extra, o que corresponde a mais 6.483 lugares, disponibilizados entre os dias 2 e 21 de Abril.

Também o percurso inter-ilhas será reforçado com uma oferta suplementar de 1.418 lugares.

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O aeroporto de Lisboa registou uma quebra do número de passageiros na ordem dos 8,2 por cento. Os números referem-se a Fevereiro e indicam que passaram pela Portela mais de 800 mil passageiros.

No Porto, a descida do número de passageiros foi de 5,3 por cento, com um total de 267.473 pessoas a passarem pelo aeroporto Francisco Sá Carneiro.

Maior foi a descida em Faro, com uma quebra de 20 por cento e um total de 170.429 passageiros a passarem pela infra-estrutura algarvia.

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O movimento de passageiros de voos internacionais nos aeroportos brasileiros caiu 4,7% em Fevereiro, com a queda a ser acentuada pela evolução em São Paulo (Aeroporto de Guarulhos, maior do País) e atenuada pelo crescimento no Rio de Janeiro (Galeão, nº 2).

Dados da Infraero, empresa gestora dos aeroportos brasileiros, indicam que nos primeiros dois meses deste ano chegaram ou partiram em voos internacionais 2,3 milhões de passageiros, menos 5,7% ou menos 139,8 mil que no período homólogo de 2008.

De acordo com estes dados, no mês de Fevereiro foram 1,086 milhões de passageiros, o que dá uma descida em 4,7% ou 53,2 mil, a qual, no entanto, também reflecte o facto de este ano o mês de Fevereiro ter tido menos um dia que em 2008, que foi ano bissexto.

A queda mais acentuada em Fevereiro foi no Aeroporto de Guarulhos (São Paulo), onde as chegadas e partidas de voos internacionais tiveram uma queda em 118,3 mil passageiros ou 16,5%, para 597,5 mil, o que ainda assim representou mais de metade (55%) do total de tráfego internacional de e para o Brasil.

O Aeroporto de Guarulhos, que tem uma grande prevalência de tráfego de negócios e, designadamente do sector financeiro, que é um dos mais atingidos pela crise mundial, já em Janeiro tinha registado a queda mais acentuada do tráfego internacional, com uma descida face a 2008 em 64,1 mi ou 7,6%, para 774,5 mil.

No conjunto dos dois meses, Guarulhos, para onde a TAP tem 14 voos por semana, 12 de Lisboa e dois do Porto, tem uma queda média nos primeiros dois meses deste ano em 11,7% ou 182,5 mil passageiros, para 1,37 milhões (59,3% do total de voos internacionais neste período).

A contrabalançar esta queda em Guarulhos têm estado os Aeroportos do Galeão, no Rio de Janeiro, para onde a TAP tem 15 voos por semana, Confins, em Belo Horizonte, para onde a companhia portuguesa voa cinco vezes por semana, Recife e Brasília, para onde tem voos diários.

O Galeão tem um aumento do tráfego internacional nos primeiros dois meses deste ano em 20,8% (+71,7) mil, para 480,3 mil passageiros (20,8% do total do movimento de voos internacionais de e para o Brasil), em Confins o crescimento é em 273,6% (+30,1 mil), para 41,19 mil (1,8% total), em Recife está em 14,6% (mais seis mil), para 47,89 mil (2,1% do total), e em Brasília está em 25,2% (+5,9 mil), para 29,58 mil (1,3% do total).

Os restantes aeroportos brasileiros para onde a TAP voa contam-se entre os que têm as maiores queda, designadamente Salvador (voo diário), que tem uma descida do tráfego internacional em 15,2% ou 13,5 mil, para 75,5 mil (3,3% do total), Natal, onde a queda é em 28,7% ou 12,7 mil, para 31,6 mil (1,4% do total), e Fortaleza, que tem uma queda em 17% ou 9,6 mil, para 46,76 mil (2% do total).

Para o mês de Fevereiro, os dados disponíveis indicam que no mês de Fevereiro, depois de Guarulhos, as maiores quedas em rotas internacionais, ocorreram em Florianópolis (-33,9%, para 32,1 mil), Natal (-32,4%, para 13,9 mil), Salvador (-14,7%, para 34,9 mil) e Fortaleza (-20,6%, para 14,49 mil).

A contrariarem a tendência de descida do tráfego internacional estiveram Rio de Janeiro (Guarulhos), com +51,3% passageiros em Fevereiro, para 283,4 mil, Belo Horizonte (Confins), com +164%, para 16,2 mil, Manaus, com +22,8%, para 10,4 mil, Curitiba, com +20,3%, para sete mil, Recife, com +2,4%, para 21,5 mil, e Brasília, com +3%, para 11,1 mil.

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