Brazil government seeks halt to Sao Paulo airport expansion

Passengers wait to check-in at the TAM Linhas Aereas counter in Guarulhos International Airport in Sao Paulo December 22, 2006.

SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Brazilian prosecutors have asked the courts to halt expansion work at Sao Paulo's Guarulhos airport, the country's largest, on environmental concerns, a newspaper report said on Friday.

In their request, state and federal prosecutors cited failures in the environmental studies used to approve the expansion, according to O Estado de S. Paulo paper.

The government also claims that changes to the original remodeling plans require changes to those environmental approvals, it said.

The Brazilian airport infrastructure authority had no immediate response, it reported.

The federal government considers the expansion of Guarulhos airport essential to deal with increasing demand, particularly in advance of the soccer World Cup in 2014.

(Reporting by Luciana Lopez; Editing by John O'Callaghan)