Cablegate: Brazil Civair: Meetings with Government Officials On

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UNCLAS BRASILIA 000169

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SENSITIVE
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STATE FOR EEB/TRA: JREIFMAN, TROBL
TSA FOR VREEDER, SHASMAN

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FAA FOR KBERQUIST, CCAPESTANY
DEPT OF TRANSPORTATION FOR BHEDBERG

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAIR ECON BR

SUBJECT: BRAZIL CIVAIR: MEETINGS WITH GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS ON
PROPOSED GUARULHOS FEE INCREASE, AIRPORT INFRASTRUCTURE

REF A) SECSTATE 3163 B) BRASILIA 129

1. (SBU) Ref A points were raised in Ambassador's January 10 meeting
with Tourism Minister Suplicy, in Ambassador's January 17 meeting
with Defense Minister Jobim (ref B) and by Econcouns and Econoff in
January 18 meeting with Ronaldo Costa Filho, the head of the
Ministry of External Relations's (MRE's) Division of Negotiations of
Services. A follow-up meeting is scheduled with ANAC for February
14. All relevant government agencies are aware of submissions sent
by the four major US carriers, the Air Transport Association, and
the International Transport Association to ANAC during the open
comment period that closed January 12 on the proposed Guarulhos
airport parking fee increase.

2. (SBU) Overall, interlocutors emphasized the Brazilian government
must take steps to address the infrastructure challenges faced by
the Sao Paulo airport. Interlocutors noted that response during the
comment period had been heavy, negative, and from a broad
cross-section of carriers. Interlocutors appeared receptive to
alternatives to a dramatic fee increase that would address Sao
Paulo's short- and medium-term infrastructure challenges. Feedback
received by US Mission, and information shared by Japanese and
Canadian missions in Brazil indicate that the Brazilian government
is consulting heavily internally, will issue a response in several
weeks, and that while fees may be increased as part of a proposed
solution to congestion issues in Sao Paulo, the dramatic hike
originally proposed appears less likely. Mission will continue to
track this issue closely and report developments.

3. (SBU) On a separate aviation infrastructure-related issue,
Foreign Commercial Service accompanied a US manufacturer of
equipment that texturizes runways-for better traction upon takeoff
and landing, as well as overall water dispersion and drainage-to
meetings with the Brazilian Ministry of Defense's Secretariat of
Civil Aviation, and later with the GOB's airport authority,
INFRAERO. This equipment, used by many of the U.S.'s busiest
airports, claims a three-day process for work that INFRAERO's
current equipment takes three months to accomplish. INFRAERO plans
to draw up a contract proposal within the next few weeks for the
company to perform work at the three Sao Paulo area airports
(Congonhas, Guarulhos and Campinas-Viracopos), the two Rio de
Janeiro airports (Tom Jobim-Galeao and Santos Dumont), and Belo
Horizonte's Confins Airport, which should help address some of the
problems impacting airport efficiency and safety in the short-term.
FCS will continue to follow up.

SOBEL

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