Brazil’s air-navigation authority (DECEA) issued NOTAM E7189/26 at 12:02 UTC on 10 October after the 89-metre-high vessel ‘Blue Pengai’ entered Guanabara Bay on its way to the public pier adjoining downtown Rio de Janeiro. Because the ship’s mast height penetrates controlled airspace on the approach to Santos Dumont Airport (SBRJ), pilots are required to observe revised obstacle-clearance minima until 13 October at 02:59 UTC. Santos Dumont is Brazil’s fourth-busiest domestic airport and a critical hub for business shuttles between Rio and São Paulo. The temporary restriction effectively raises the glide-slope on Runway 20L/02R during certain tidal conditions, increasing the likelihood of go-arounds and minor schedule slippages during peak morning and late-afternoon banks. Airlines operating corporate shuttles—most notably Azul’s hourly ‘Ponte Aérea’ and LATAM’s high-frequency services—have issued operational bulletins instructing crews to carry a minimum of 15 minutes of extra fuel and to brief passengers on the possibility of diversions to Galeão (GIG) if low-visibility coincides with the obstacle-clearance window. From a traveller-management perspective, companies with tight same-day itineraries between the two financial centres should build in additional buffers or consider virtual alternatives until the NOTAM expires. Freight forwarders moving time-sensitive cargo via SBRJ’s belly-hold capacity may also wish to reroute through São Paulo-Congonhas (CGH) or Viracopos (VCP) to mitigate risk. DECEA emphasised that the measure is routine and that no safety incidents have been reported. Nevertheless, the episode highlights the unique operational challenges posed by Rio’s maritime-airport interface and the importance of real-time NOTAM monitoring for mobility planners.
