President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva fired his defense minister heeding calls for the removal of top aviation officials after nearly 200 people were killed last week.
Waldir Pires was forced out as defense minister. Nelson Jobim, a retired Supreme Court judge and former justice minister with close ties to Lula, replaced Pires.
Lula, who has been criticized for being slow in reacting to crises.
Jobim told reporters after taking office that he would decide by the weekend whether to replace officials at the airports authority, Infraero.
Jobim will have free rein to do what it takes to fix the ailing aviation system.
“We are going to do what has to be done … and spend what has to be spent,” the president said at Jobim’s swearing-in ceremony.
Yet airport chaos continues.
Air traffic controllers have held work slowdowns to protest outdated radar and radio equipment and poor salaries.
The crisis deepened when the radar outage forced flights to change course, causing delays. Weather and a runway problem in Sao Paulo have added to the woe.
More than half of all flights in the country were delayed or canceled on Wednesday for the fourth straight day.
To reduce the delays and cancellations, Brazil’s aviation authority temporarily suspended ticket sales for flights to and from Congonha.
Gol Transportes Aereos flight G3-7660 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Curitiba, Brazil, on August 10th.
TAM Airlines flight JJ-3548 made an emergency landing at Sao Paulo–Guarulhos International Airport in Brazil, on May 20th.
Pilot Walter Auada Botelho de Morais Toledo and passenger Emanuela Érica Garcia were taken to Hospital São Paulo, Cianorte. She is pregnant, and suffered Traumatic Brain Injury. The pilot broke his foot.