CGNA daily briefing introduces preferred-route playbook to keep holiday traffic moving

The Brazilian Airspace Control Centre (CGNA) published an updated Air-Traffic Flow Management (ATFM) briefing at 13:59 UTC on Saturday, 18 April 2026, outlining a new set of Preferred and Alternative Routes that airlines are being encouraged to file for the remainder of the Tiradentes long weekend. The playbook – available on the CGNA portal – is designed to reduce bottlenecks over the São Paulo-Rio de Janeiro corridor and along the busy northeast trunk between Brasília (SBBR) and Recife (SBRF). According to the briefing, tactical modelling shows demand peaking at 27 percent above baseline on Sunday afternoon as holiday-makers head for beach destinations, while Monday morning business departures push runway utilisation at Congonhas (SBSP) to 37 operations per slot hour, close to the regulated ceiling. To mitigate airborne holding and minimise fuel burn, the ATFM cell has activated a series of “level-capping” measures that reroute southbound traffic above FL370 and northbound flows at FL330. For operators, the biggest operational change is the temporary use of Waypoint KEPAD as a mandatory merge-point for flights departing Viracopos (SBKP) bound for the Northeast. Cargo carriers have been asked to schedule departures before 05:00 local time where possible, and business-aviation operators using São Paulo Catarina (SBJH) must now obtain slot approvals 12 hours in advance via the SIGMA-SLOT module. CGNA notes that no formal ground delays are in force but warns that a cold front expected over the Southeast late Sunday could trigger a SWAP (Severe Weather Avoidance Plan) that would keep the preferred-route structure in place until at least 22 April. The agency has published real-time dashboards showing sector occupancy, and encourages dispatchers to monitor the Briefing Meteorológico, updated every 30 minutes. Corporate travel departments should circulate the new routing guidance to flight-planning vendors and remind crews to load the latest AIRAC cycle; failure to comply with the preferred-route scheme could trigger in-flight rerouting or last-minute slot re-allocation, potentially jeopardising tight itineraries for mobile executives.