Silva vows to fix Brazil's troubled aviation system

Rio de Janeiro: President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva vowed to fix Brazil's troubled aviation system and acknowledged he was afraid of flying, saying every time the airplane door closes "I deliver myself to god."

Silva made his remarks at Wednesday's ceremony swearing in Nelson Jobim as Brazil's new defence minister and top aviation official. Earlier, Silva fired Waldir Pires from the post.

Brazil's president vowed to do whatever it takes to resolve the nation's aviation crisis even if that means fighting the finance and planning ministries for more resources.

"From now on, it's necessary to do what needs to be done, spend what needs to be spent, to reassure Brazilian families. The only thing we can't promise is there will be no more accidents. But there will be tranquility," Silva said.

Fear

Silva also acknowledged he was afraid of flying.

"Even with my luck in the hands of god, I confess I'm afraid. I confess this publicly because I am not embarrassed to say we are afraid."

Pires, a veteran leftist politician and longtime friend of Silva, was seen as a political appointee with little competence in the field. He came under withering criticism for failing to resolve problems in the military-run aviation system.

Jobim, a former president of Brazil's Supreme Court, is seen as a tough-minded problem solver, although like Pires he has no aviation experience.

After his appointment, Jobim told reporters there was a "command problem" in the country's aviation system.

"We have to make the system work in the way it worked before the Gol Accident," he said, referring to September's Boeing 737 crash that killed 154 people and prompted a series of air traffic controller strikes and work slowdowns.