An intense pre-dawn fog bank blanketed Rio de Janeiro’s Guanabara Bay on 3 July 2026, forcing the closure of both the international Galeão (GIG) and downtown Santos Dumont (SDU) airports for up to 90 minutes. Airport operator RIOgaleão confirmed that eight inbound services were diverted to alternative airports—including São Paulo-Campinas and Belo Horizonte—while six departures were outright cancelled. Santos Dumont suspended operations between 08:48 and 09:53, causing additional ripple effects across Brazil’s busiest business-travel corridor. Although weather disruptions are common in Rio’s winter mornings, the simultaneous shutdown of the city’s two main gateways is rare and underscores the vulnerability of tight corporate itineraries. Airlines applied Brazil’s ANAC Resolution 400, offering rebooking or refunds, but last-mile ground connections were strained as passengers landed 400 km away. Travel-management companies (TMCs) reported a 240 % spike in same-day car-rental requests in São Paulo. Corporate planners with staff heading to the G20 Trade Ministers’ pre-summit in Rio next week are advised to build slack into arrival schedules before 09:30 and to keep an eye on airport METAR reports. RIOgaleão said it will fast-track the commissioning of a second Category III instrument-landing system, now expected by April 2027, which should reduce future closures. Meanwhile, insurers reminded clients that weather-related delays remain excluded from most business-interruption travel policies unless optional riders are purchased.
Source: CNN Brasil
