On July 20, the Brazilian government announced that another airport will be built in Sao Paulo, following the airplane accident that killed about 200 people at Congonhas International Airport earlier.

In a speech on national television on July 20, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said that despite the recent investment in the Congonhas airport the main problem of the traffic overflow remained.

He then announced a series of measures to be taken to solve the problem, including building a new airport in Sao Paulo.

According to the President's Chief of Staff Dilma Roussef, the new airport will serve as an alternative to relieve traffic pressure at Congonhas.

The government has not yet decided where to build the airport.

The National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC) will release a study within the next 90 days listing the requirements and possible locations for the new airport, she said.

The National Civil Aviation Council (CONAC) is also considering allowing only flights with final destination in Sao Paulo to land, Roussef added.

The cause of the Airbus A320 remains uncertain. Suspicion was initially aroused over the uncompleted grooving service on the runway, which could have prompted the aircraft to skid on a rainy day.

However, airline TAM, which operated the flight, revealed on July 19 that it had detected a malfunctioning in the thrust reversal device of the plane's right engine, which integrates the braking system.

Although the company was aware of the problem three days before the tragedy, it did not prevent the plane, carrying 187 people, from flying.

TAM stated that, according to manufacturer Airbus' guide, the airline is allowed to fly the aircraft up to ten days after it detected this kind of defect.