From BBC website:
Quote
But Jose Carlos Pereira, the head of the nation's airport authority Infraero, told AP that closing the airport - one of Brazil's busiest - was unjustified.
"It's not a matter of shutting down the airport or opening indiscriminately. We have operated thousands of times under heavy rain and nothing has happened," Mr Pereira said
Unquote.
More arse covering rubbish from those involved. I'd say the number of overrun incidents including recent events hardly constitutes "nothing".
A worrying symptom of the crisis in Brazilian aviation safety in the light of recent events (incl Gol mid-air) has been the way in which those in authority have done everything to protect their respective backsides and little to foster objective cooperation in finding solutions. Not surprising I suppose when the first reaction of the government after any accident seems to be to look for someone to prosecute. In Brazil, incidentally, members of the government are themselves immune from prosecution which sets a fine example!