Rio Domestic Airport to Close During Games

(ATR) Broadcasters will not have to worry about airplanes flying over the Rio Olympic sailing tournament.

The Brazilian government said on Nov. 5 that Rio de Janeiro's Santos Dumont Airport will close for a select period in afternoons during the Games. Closures will take place from 12:40 to 5:10 pm on Aug. 8-18 to accommodate the sailing schedule.

Santos Dumont is locatedon Guanabara Bay right next to the Marina da Gloria, where Olympic sailors will launch their boats for competition.

"It is important to reconcile the organizational demands with the airport's needs," George Hilton, Brazilian Sports Minister, said to AFP.

"The cumulative audience for the 2016 Olympic Games is estimated at five billion viewers and the sailing competitions are among the best images of Rio that television broadcasters will show the world."

According to AFP, close to 150,000 passengers could be inconvenienced by the diversions, much to the dismay of Brazilian airline companies.

Santos Dumont serves as the domestic airport for Rio de Janeiro and, unlike the international airport, operates with strict guidelines. The airport only serves 19 flights an hour, and is operational from 6:00 am to 11:00 pm.

Flight paths going in and out of the airport exist in close proximity to courses that will be used for the Olympics. Olympic Broadcast Services and other broadcasters plan to use helicopters to broadcast the sailing events, which required diverting aircraft coming in and out of Santos Dumont to film.

Written by Aaron Bauer in Rio de Janeiro

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