Sailing

Airport closed during Rio Olympics sailing

The domestic airport of Rio de Janeiro would shot down for 4 hours and thirty minutes a day during the ten-day Olympic sailing event in the Brazilian citys iconic Guanabara Bay, announced the government today.

Santos Dumont Airport operations that sit at the bays edge should be called off to clear airspace for helicopters shooting the events, stated Rio Olympics committee. Sports Minister George Hilton, the coordinator of the committee, said that the cumulative audience for the Olympic Games is estimated at 5 billion viewers and the sailing events are among the top images of Rio that TV broadcasters would show the world. It is important to reconcile the organizational demands with the airports needs.

According to reports on PlainSailing.com, the sailors had also suggested that low-flying planes might disrupt sailing events. The blockages will be in effect from 12:40 pm to 5:10 pm (local time) from 8th to 18th August. It will not affect the international airport that is farther inland.

In the past few months, he authorities spent a lot of time talking about whether to shut down the airport or not. Later in September, the Brazilian military had announced that it would be closed, but had not released details.

Helicopters shooting the sailing programs will be able to click magnificent views of the mountain-ringed bay. In the mean time, Brazilian airlines have warned that this will disrupt the air travel and might affect passengers.