The president of the National Civil Aviation Authority (ANAC) said on Tuesday that “zero risk in aviation cannot be guaranteed”, acknowledging that there have been “actually serious” air traffic control failures at Porto and Ponta Delgada airports.
“I cannot guarantee that human error will never happen again, and there is no guarantee that there are no risks in civil aviation,” said Tanya Simoes, ANAC Chairman of the Board of Directors.
Speaking at a hearing before the Parliamentary Committee on Economy, Public Works, Planning and Housing in Lisbon, the official acknowledged that “there was clearly a human error” in the incidents that took place at Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport in April 2021 and at João Paulo II Airport. Airport in May 2022, respectively, in Porto and Ponta Delgada.
“We don’t know what it was [o erro humano] and this will follow from the report, and from there from the investigation,” he added.
However, Tanya Simões insisted that “100% security will never be possible” as air traffic consists of “risk assessments”.
“But I do not rule out the seriousness of these two incidents, which are indeed serious,” he added, guaranteeing the regulator’s action.
These are PSD and Chega’s requests for ANAC hearings on a report by the Aviation and Rail Accident Prevention and Investigation Administration (GPIAAF) that indicated “serious failures in air traffic control.”
The accident investigation authority found major deficiencies in air traffic control at Porto and Ponta Delgada airports, which authorized takeoffs and landings while vehicles were still performing inspection or maintenance on the runway.
The findings are contained in the GPIAAF final report, which Lusa had access to on December 29.
The first incident took place on the night of April 27, 2021, when a Boeing 737-400 cargo operated by ASL Airlines Belgium began to take off at Porto airport, at the moment when the car “followed me”, “duly authorized to transport left the inspection of the runway, noticed a bright light and interrogated the controller about the presence of aircraft lined up on the runway.
A “similar event” occurred at Ponta Delgada Airport on May 13, 2022, which “resulted in a borrego” (aborted landing) of TAP A321 when the crew became aware “in the last moments of the presence of a runway maintenance van”. which is also pre-authorized” by air traffic control.
The researchers identified “deficiencies in personnel and shift management that created latent organizational conditions that contributed to the events.”