Azul has opened an internal investigation after an Embraer E195-E2 took off near the end of the runway at São Paulo–Congonhas Airport. Flight AD4797, operated by aircraft PS-AEK, departed runway 17R for Belo Horizonte–Confins on 11 October, becoming airborne only after passing the touchdown reference area for landings in the opposite direction and crossing the runway’s EMAS at low altitude.
The flight continued normally to Confins, and the pilots reportedly did not alert air traffic control to any problem. Aeroin estimated that the aircraft was approximately 500 feet, or 150 metres, lower at the runway end than a typical departure profile.
The EMAS, or Engineered Materials Arresting System, is installed beyond the runway to help stop aircraft that overrun the paved surface. Its proximity to the aircraft during the takeoff has drawn attention because Congonhas operates within a constrained runway environment, although available information does not establish that an overrun was imminent.
Azul has not disclosed a possible cause or indicated when its investigation will be completed. No preliminary findings, performance calculations, weather data, cockpit information or formal safety classification have been released.