ANAC reviews Congonhas slot rules to increase airline competition

Brazil's civil aviation authority, ANAC, has initiated a public consultation open until December 29 to review slot allocation criteria at São Paulo's Congonhas Airport. The regulatory initiative assesses access conditions to airport infrastructure ahead of an operational expansion managed by concessionaire Aena, which aims to raise commercial traffic limits from 36 to 40 movements per hour.

Congonhas remains heavily concentrated between LATAM and GOL. Following the reallocation of slots previously held by Voepass, the winter 2025 schedule assigns 246 slots to LATAM, 244 to GOL, and 92 to Azul. The two primary carriers concentrate approximately 84% of the slots distributed among Brazil's three major airlines. Data compiled by the OECD indicated that LATAM and GOL accounted for roughly 90% of Congonhas operations between 2008 and 2018. Prior to the departure of Avianca Brasil in 2019, LATAM operated 236 slots, GOL 234, Avianca 41, and Azul 26.

ANAC indicated it does not plan to revoke grandfathered slots held by incumbents. Instead, the agency evaluates whether newly generated capacity or relinquished slots could enable market entry for competitors, including foreign airline groups demonstrating scale and operational efficiency abroad, according to Air Services Superintendent Adriano Pinto de Miranda. No final reallocation policy has yet been decided.