Just as airlines were hoping to stabilise schedules after the mid-week meltdown, data from FlightStats confirmed 54 additional departures were cancelled on 18 December (reported 19 December) at Viracopos, Guarulhos and Afonso Pena airports. Roughly 9,000 passengers were affected, many of whom were already rebooked from earlier disruptions.
Azul bore the biggest burden because Viracopos is its primary hub, but LATAM and American Airlines also trimmed long-haul services after crew rotations unravelled and spare aircraft were tied up in heavy maintenance. The network knock-on stretched beyond Brazil, forcing missed connections in Santiago and Buenos Aires.
![Second wave of cancellations hits Viracopos, Guarulhos and Curitiba—54 more flights axed]()
Civil-aviation regulator ANAC has called an extraordinary meeting with carriers, hinting it may temporarily relax night-curfew rules at secondary airports so airlines can clear backlogs. Travel-risk firms advise corporates to diversify routings—using Brasília or Porto Alegre as gateways—and to double-check visa validity for staff who may need unexpected overnight stays.
For travellers suddenly rerouted through alternative cities, VisaHQ’s online platform (https://www.visahq.com/brazil/) can expedite Brazilian visa checks and applications, helping corporate travel managers confirm staff documentation in minutes and avoid further disruption.
The episode underscores how weather, infrastructure fragility and tight crew rostering can quickly upend Brazil’s aviation network during peak season. Multinationals are urged to push real-time alerts to travelling staff and ensure duty-of-care providers have updated contact details.
Azul bore the biggest burden because Viracopos is its primary hub, but LATAM and American Airlines also trimmed long-haul services after crew rotations unravelled and spare aircraft were tied up in heavy maintenance. The network knock-on stretched beyond Brazil, forcing missed connections in Santiago and Buenos Aires.
Civil-aviation regulator ANAC has called an extraordinary meeting with carriers, hinting it may temporarily relax night-curfew rules at secondary airports so airlines can clear backlogs. Travel-risk firms advise corporates to diversify routings—using Brasília or Porto Alegre as gateways—and to double-check visa validity for staff who may need unexpected overnight stays.
For travellers suddenly rerouted through alternative cities, VisaHQ’s online platform (https://www.visahq.com/brazil/) can expedite Brazilian visa checks and applications, helping corporate travel managers confirm staff documentation in minutes and avoid further disruption.
The episode underscores how weather, infrastructure fragility and tight crew rostering can quickly upend Brazil’s aviation network during peak season. Multinationals are urged to push real-time alerts to travelling staff and ensure duty-of-care providers have updated contact details.
