RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Five months from the start of the World Cup, Brazilian authorities seem unsure about how to handle the crunch of 500,000 international visitors expecting to rely on air travel for the month-long tournament.
The chief of staff for Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff said this week that a presidential decree was being considered to open more air routes to foreign carriers, partly aimed at keeping down soaring prices.
The state-run tourism agency Embratur also says foreign carriers may be needed to help move traffic to the 12 host cities.
Those views clash with the position of Civil Aviation secretary Wellington Moreira Franco, who says Brazil can rely on domestic operators only. An outside analyst suggests any late changes may make matters only worse.
