Brazil’s two busiest city-airport pairs—São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro—were hit by a wave of cancellations and delays on 20 January, throwing corporate itineraries and cargo connections into disarray just as the post-summer business season ramps up.
According to real-time data compiled by FlightAware and reported by Travel and Tour World, 135 flights were delayed and another 12 were cancelled across Congonhas (CGH) and Galeão (GIG) between 05:00 and 23:00 local time. LATAM Brasil bore the brunt, scrubbing 10 services and delaying 46 more, while GOL registered 2 cancellations and 61 delays. Azul, Aerolíneas Argentinas, TAP Air Portugal, Avianca and Emirates also suffered knock-on delays. (travelandtourworld.com)
Although weather was the immediate trigger—heavy afternoon squalls reduced visibility and slowed runway operations at Congonhas—airport sources said two structural factors compounded the problem. First, Congonhas is operating at 98 % slot occupancy following the addition of 86 new daily slots in October 2025; any minor hold-up cascades quickly. Second, Galeão’s ongoing terminal-roof refurbishment has narrowed peak-hour gate availability, forcing arriving jets to wait for parking stands and delaying turn-arounds.
![Flight chaos at São Paulo–Congonhas and Rio Galeão disrupts 147 departures, stranding thousands of travellers]()
For mobility managers the implications are tangible: mid-week day trips between Brazil’s financial and oil capitals are a staple of executive travel, and missed meetings ripple through project timelines. Freight forwarders moving critical auto-parts and high-value pharmaceuticals on “belly-hold” services also reported schedule slips, with some shipments rerouted overnight via Brasília.
Amid such turbulence, international visitors caught in the snarl should remember that valid travel documentation is non-negotiable. VisaHQ’s dedicated Brazil portal (https://www.visahq.com/brazil/) lets travelers and corporate mobility teams apply for, renew, or expedite Brazilian visas entirely online—often in as little as 24 hours—so executives can jump on alternative flights the moment seats become available.
Airlines have waived re-booking fees for affected passengers, but travel-management companies are advising corporate clients to add at least four hours of buffer to same-day returns this week and to prioritise early-morning departures before thunderstorms typically build. Longer-term, the National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC) faces renewed calls from IATA and the Brazilian Business Travel Association (ABRACORP) to accelerate slot-management reform and to reconsider the pace at which extra movements are authorised at constrained airports such as CGH.
According to real-time data compiled by FlightAware and reported by Travel and Tour World, 135 flights were delayed and another 12 were cancelled across Congonhas (CGH) and Galeão (GIG) between 05:00 and 23:00 local time. LATAM Brasil bore the brunt, scrubbing 10 services and delaying 46 more, while GOL registered 2 cancellations and 61 delays. Azul, Aerolíneas Argentinas, TAP Air Portugal, Avianca and Emirates also suffered knock-on delays. (travelandtourworld.com)
Although weather was the immediate trigger—heavy afternoon squalls reduced visibility and slowed runway operations at Congonhas—airport sources said two structural factors compounded the problem. First, Congonhas is operating at 98 % slot occupancy following the addition of 86 new daily slots in October 2025; any minor hold-up cascades quickly. Second, Galeão’s ongoing terminal-roof refurbishment has narrowed peak-hour gate availability, forcing arriving jets to wait for parking stands and delaying turn-arounds.
For mobility managers the implications are tangible: mid-week day trips between Brazil’s financial and oil capitals are a staple of executive travel, and missed meetings ripple through project timelines. Freight forwarders moving critical auto-parts and high-value pharmaceuticals on “belly-hold” services also reported schedule slips, with some shipments rerouted overnight via Brasília.
Amid such turbulence, international visitors caught in the snarl should remember that valid travel documentation is non-negotiable. VisaHQ’s dedicated Brazil portal (https://www.visahq.com/brazil/) lets travelers and corporate mobility teams apply for, renew, or expedite Brazilian visas entirely online—often in as little as 24 hours—so executives can jump on alternative flights the moment seats become available.
Airlines have waived re-booking fees for affected passengers, but travel-management companies are advising corporate clients to add at least four hours of buffer to same-day returns this week and to prioritise early-morning departures before thunderstorms typically build. Longer-term, the National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC) faces renewed calls from IATA and the Brazilian Business Travel Association (ABRACORP) to accelerate slot-management reform and to reconsider the pace at which extra movements are authorised at constrained airports such as CGH.
