Brazil’s National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC) published its post-mortem on November 29, revealing that a task-force of 25 inspectors carried out more than 80 ramp-safety, security and slot-allocation inspections across eight airports between 10 and 21 November—the exact window in which Belém hosted the 30th UN Climate Conference (COP30). The operation, nicknamed ‘Fiscalização Amazônia’, focused on Val-de-Cans/Júlio Cezar Ribeiro International Airport (BEL) but extended to São Paulo, Brasília and Manaus to monitor feeder traffic.
Despite handling some 60,000 delegates—triple BEL’s pre-pandemic daily average—the airport posted an 87 percent on-time performance for international arrivals. No foreign carrier exceeded its allocated slot tolerance, and inspectors found only minor paperwork discrepancies, all corrected on-the-spot. Crucially for mobility planners, ANAC confirmed that the temporary e-gates and extra immigration counters installed for COP30 will remain in place until after the New Year peak, easing passenger flows during Brazil’s busiest holiday season.
![ANAC’s 80-inspection blitz kept COP30 air ops on time, post-event report shows]()
The agency’s data provide welcome evidence that Brazil can scale aviation oversight rapidly when global events descend on secondary cities. Prior to the summit, corporate travel departments had voiced fears of lengthy queues and missed connections in Belém, a mid-size airport with limited hard-stand space and only four jet bridges. ANAC mitigated that risk by pre-authorising remote stands, co-locating Passport Police officers with ramp inspectors, and deploying a mobile slot-coordination unit linked in real time to Eurocontrol’s Network Manager.
For multinational companies planning high-profile incentives or board meetings around COP30, the smooth execution offers a template. ‘We now know that if we share passenger-name lists 72 hours in advance, the authorities can pre-clear entire groups,’ said the head of mobility at a Rio-based energy firm. Freight forwarders also benefited: the same task force cleared 320 tonnes of exhibition equipment with an average dwell time of just 12 hours.
Looking ahead, ANAC will de-brief airlines on 5 December and incorporate the lessons into a permanent ‘Green Corridor’ protocol for future Amazonian events. That could make Belém—and by extension Manaus and Santarém—more attractive for conferences and MICE traffic, diversifying Brazil’s business-travel map beyond the traditional Rio–São Paulo axis.
Despite handling some 60,000 delegates—triple BEL’s pre-pandemic daily average—the airport posted an 87 percent on-time performance for international arrivals. No foreign carrier exceeded its allocated slot tolerance, and inspectors found only minor paperwork discrepancies, all corrected on-the-spot. Crucially for mobility planners, ANAC confirmed that the temporary e-gates and extra immigration counters installed for COP30 will remain in place until after the New Year peak, easing passenger flows during Brazil’s busiest holiday season.
The agency’s data provide welcome evidence that Brazil can scale aviation oversight rapidly when global events descend on secondary cities. Prior to the summit, corporate travel departments had voiced fears of lengthy queues and missed connections in Belém, a mid-size airport with limited hard-stand space and only four jet bridges. ANAC mitigated that risk by pre-authorising remote stands, co-locating Passport Police officers with ramp inspectors, and deploying a mobile slot-coordination unit linked in real time to Eurocontrol’s Network Manager.
For multinational companies planning high-profile incentives or board meetings around COP30, the smooth execution offers a template. ‘We now know that if we share passenger-name lists 72 hours in advance, the authorities can pre-clear entire groups,’ said the head of mobility at a Rio-based energy firm. Freight forwarders also benefited: the same task force cleared 320 tonnes of exhibition equipment with an average dwell time of just 12 hours.
Looking ahead, ANAC will de-brief airlines on 5 December and incorporate the lessons into a permanent ‘Green Corridor’ protocol for future Amazonian events. That could make Belém—and by extension Manaus and Santarém—more attractive for conferences and MICE traffic, diversifying Brazil’s business-travel map beyond the traditional Rio–São Paulo axis.
