Brazil’s National Civil Aviation Agency (Anac), in charge of regulating the country’s air travel market, authorized domestic airlines Azul and Gol to reduce the number of mandatory flight attendants on board from four to three. Latam has made a similar request and is waiting for a response.
The decision could impact the entire aviation sector, as the three companies combined account for 98 percent of domestic flights. Furthermore, Anac ruled that when flight crews are reduced, aircraft passenger capacity must also be cut proportionately.
The decision comes amid the accelerated spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant, which has been forcing flights to be rescheduled due to a spate of cases among flight attendants.