Eduardo Gomes Int'l Airport in the Brazilian city of Manaus "has suffered flooding and heavy damage after being battered by rain on Monday afternoon," according to Cyrus Engineer of the London DAILY STAR. Tens of thousands of England fans "are expected to travel through the airport for England's opening match against Italy on June 14." Many of the airport's lobby areas "have been flooded and a roof near one of the bathrooms caved in." Some staff "also reported water in the elevators." Brazil "has been under intense scrutiny following significant delays to both World Cup stadiums and associated infrastructure projects" (DAILY STAR, 5/20). XINHUA reported Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff on Monday "affirmed that all the projects at airports will be finished in time for the World Cup." Rousseff: "I guarantee that all our airports will be ready for the soccer World Cup. We are going to welcome all (the visitors). Brazilians will be proud of what we are building." On Tuesday the third terminal of Sao Paulo's Int'l Airport will open, with a capacity for 12 million travelers per year. This terminal "will be exclusively used for international flights" (XINHUA, 5/20).
ANOTHER SAO PAULO TEST: The AFP reported Sao Paulo's Corinthians stadium,which will host the World Cup opening match on June 12, "will hold a second test event next week after its first major test laid bare a host of problems." The Brazilian Football Confederation said that Corinthians stadium will host a Brazilian league match between home team Corinthians and Cruzeiro on May 29. On Sunday, it held what "was originally scheduled to be its only major test event." But the local organizing committee overseeing Sao Paulo's preparations for the World Cup said that the match "had revealed the venue, also known as the Itaquerao, needed another test" (AFP, 5/20).
