Year-end travellers hoping for a smooth getaway from Brazil’s busiest international hub were met with chaos on 29 December. By 10:00 a.m. local time, São Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport (GRU) had registered 90 delayed departures and 11 outright cancellations, according to real-time data cited by airport authorities.
LATAM Brasil and Azul bore the brunt, but long-haul partners American Airlines, Iberia and TAP also reported knock-on delays after aircraft and crews missed vital slots. Ground-handling companies blamed a “perfect storm”: torrential overnight rain flooded two remote stands, forcing a last-minute reshuffle of gate assignments, while an unexpected shortfall on the night-shift at Air Navigation Services (DECEA) led to slot re-sequencing throughout the morning peak.
For corporate mobility teams the disruption is a reminder that Brazil’s summer weather can upend meticulously planned assignments. Travellers connecting onward to Miami, New York and Orlando—high-yield routes for business traffic—were among the worst affected, with some missing tight post-holiday meeting schedules.
![Summer storm and staffing crunch trigger 90 delays and 11 cancellations at São Paulo/Guarulhos]()
Amid such uncertainty, having travel documentation in perfect order becomes even more critical. VisaHQ’s online platform (https://www.visahq.com/brazil/) can fast-track Brazilian visas and other travel documents, monitor status changes in real time and dispatch digital copies straight to mobile devices—giving corporate mobility teams one less variable to worry about when flights go awry.
Airlines issued rebooking waivers, but seat availability was tight as flights were already operating at near-holiday capacity. Travel-management consultants advise companies to build wider connection buffers over the southern-hemisphere summer, factor in potential hotel costs for stranded staff and review duty-of-care protocols for employees with tight project timelines.
Airport operator GRU Airport said it has accelerated drainage-upgrade works on Cargo Apron 4 and will add 40 temporary staff to the midday shift through the first week of January, when another surge of holidaymakers is expected.
LATAM Brasil and Azul bore the brunt, but long-haul partners American Airlines, Iberia and TAP also reported knock-on delays after aircraft and crews missed vital slots. Ground-handling companies blamed a “perfect storm”: torrential overnight rain flooded two remote stands, forcing a last-minute reshuffle of gate assignments, while an unexpected shortfall on the night-shift at Air Navigation Services (DECEA) led to slot re-sequencing throughout the morning peak.
For corporate mobility teams the disruption is a reminder that Brazil’s summer weather can upend meticulously planned assignments. Travellers connecting onward to Miami, New York and Orlando—high-yield routes for business traffic—were among the worst affected, with some missing tight post-holiday meeting schedules.
Amid such uncertainty, having travel documentation in perfect order becomes even more critical. VisaHQ’s online platform (https://www.visahq.com/brazil/) can fast-track Brazilian visas and other travel documents, monitor status changes in real time and dispatch digital copies straight to mobile devices—giving corporate mobility teams one less variable to worry about when flights go awry.
Airlines issued rebooking waivers, but seat availability was tight as flights were already operating at near-holiday capacity. Travel-management consultants advise companies to build wider connection buffers over the southern-hemisphere summer, factor in potential hotel costs for stranded staff and review duty-of-care protocols for employees with tight project timelines.
Airport operator GRU Airport said it has accelerated drainage-upgrade works on Cargo Apron 4 and will add 40 temporary staff to the midday shift through the first week of January, when another surge of holidaymakers is expected.
