Brazil Wants To Blow You Out Of The Sky If You Fly Over The World Cup

In anticipation of the World Cup soccer tournament this summer, Brazil has announced that it will enforce no-fly zones within a 4 nautical mile radius of the twelve Cup stadiums. As the law currently stands, unresponsive planes cannot be shot down over populated areas, but the Brazilian Air Force is hoping to change that.

Anti-aircraft guns are being deployed around stadiums, and the Air Force wants permission to effectively defend the air space around the stadiums should the need arise, said Air Force Brigadier Antoio Carlos Egito.

Brazil is expecting 600,000 foreign travelers during the month-long tournament. To help ease congestion at public airports, it has made space available at military bases for flights carrying soccer teams and foreign dignitaries.

An airline official walks in the terminal of the Antonio Carlos Jobim International Airport

For fans wishing to follow their team throughout the country to each match, there's good news. According to a report by Airwise, only 10 percent of domestic seats have been sold during the tournament. Expecting high demand during thee tournament, Brazilian airlines set high prices for domestic fares last fall, but those prices dropped 25 percent in January, as travel agencies freed up their bulk of unsold tickets.

Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal reports that many airport renovation projects throughout Brazil are running behind schedule, but of course local authorities claim all will be complete in time. With the recent Winter Olympic construction debacle broadcast live on social media by athletes in Sochi, Russia, Brazilian authorities will take the utmost care to save face for their country, which will host the 2016 Summer Olympics.

All images via Getty