RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AP):

Brazil's president declared his nation's air traffic control system to be safe yesterday, hours after two planes clipped each other on a Sao Paulo runway.

It was the latest is a series of accidents, near-collisions and equipment failures in Brazil and Argentina that have prompted international safety warnings to pilots and walkouts and slowdowns by air traffic controllers. Hundreds of flights have been delayed or cancelled, frustrating travellers across South America.

The planes operated by Gol Lineas Aereas Intelligentes SA and TAM Lineas Aereas SA clipped wings as they were manoeuvering for take-off at Congonhas airport late Sunday night, the airport authority said. Passengers on both domestic flights had to be transferred to other planes.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva defended the military-run air traffic control system in his weekly radio address yesterday, and said controllers engaging in work slowdowns over safety concerns were being insubordinate.

Few accidents

"The Brazilian system is one of the most modern in the world. We have few accidents compared to other countries in the world," Silva said. "Before this fact of insubordination, I have determined the Air Force Command put its house in order, do what has to be done but we have to maintain the airports well functioning."

Also yesterday, the Air Force temporarily closed one of the runways at Rio's Antonio Carlos Jobim International airport during a police-gang shoot-out in the nearby Dende shantytown. Three alleged gang members were killed.

Argentina said Saturday it was testing a replacement for its primary radar, which had been down for months after being struck by lightning. And in Brazil, air traffic yesterday was mostly back to normal with no major delays reported, according to the national airport authority.

'The Brazilian system is one of the most modern in the world.'