Full Breakdown
GPS Reception Failure Grounds Embraer E2 Jets in Brazil, Disrupting Azul’s Schedule
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event
On a Tuesday, Azul Linhas Aéreas experienced a widespread loss of GPS signal on its Embraer E190-E2 and E195-E2 fleet, forcing the majority of the aircraft to remain on the ground. The outage halted departures from São Paulo, Brasília, Congonhas, Viracopos and Confins, leading to extensive cancellations, delays and passenger queues. By 17:30, only two E195-E2s were airborne—one to Recife and another to Porto Alegre—while the remainder of the estimated 43-47-aircraft fleet stayed grounded.
Background & Context
The Embraer E2 family relies on the Honeywell Primus Epic 2 avionics suite, which uses dual GNSS (global navigation satellite system) receivers to provide GPS data for the flight-management system, synthetic vision, terrain alerts and ADS-B transmission. Modern performance-based navigation (PBN) procedures, including RNAV and RNP approaches, require continuous GNSS availability; without it, aircraft cannot be dispatched under the required navigation specifications.
Data & Statistics
- Azul’s E2 fleet: approximately 43 – 47 aircraft.
- At the peak of the outage, only 2 aircraft remained in flight.
- Affected airports included São Paulo (Congonhas), Brasília, Viracopos, Confins and Congonhas.
- The GPS anomaly manifested when the aircraft were powered up on the ground, before dispatch.
- Worldwide, more than 200 E2 jets are in service with 24 airlines; a backlog of close to 500 units remains unfilled.
Official Statements & Responses
- The airline also confirmed assistance under ANAC Resolution 400.
- Embraer and Honeywell jointly opened a crisis room to investigate the root cause and develop corrective actions. Both companies stated that the anomaly appears during ground power-up and that a system reset can temporarily restore GPS reception, though the failure may recur after restart.
- ANAC (Brazil’s civil aviation authority) was referenced as the regulator overseeing the assistance measures, but no formal airworthiness directive had been issued at the time of reporting.
On-the-Ground Reports
Passengers at Congonhas faced cancellations to Curitiba and Belo Horizonte and delays to Rio de Janeiro. In Brasília, queues formed and flights remained suspended into the evening, with no firm recovery forecast by 20:30. Earlier that morning, a separate power outage at a Viracopos substation had already forced Azul to cancel dozens of flights, compounding the GPS-related disruption.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
- While Azul confirmed the GPS failure, other operators such as KLM Cityhopper, Binter, Helvetic and Mexicana were reported by Brazilian media to have experienced similar issues, but no detailed statements from those airlines were available.
- The precise technical trigger of the GNSS instability remains unidentified; both Embraer and Honeywell have labeled the cause as “open” pending further analysis. No service bulletin, airworthiness directive, or regulatory finding had been published at the time of reporting.
What’s Next
Embraer and Honeywell continue a joint investigation, with a crisis room tasked with determining corrective actions. Industry observers anticipate that the manufacturers may issue a service bulletin or an airworthiness directive from ANAC, the FAA or EASA once the root cause is confirmed. Azul has indicated that it will keep passengers informed through official channels as the situation evolves.