Brazil’s new Itapemirim airline starts selling flights; inaugural flight in June

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Itapemirim Transportes Aéreos, or ITA, has taken a new step toward the start of operations in Brazil.

On Friday, May 21, the new Brazilian airline began selling tickets on its official website and through a network of 2,000 travel agencies, after being authorized to fly by the National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC).

Initially, ITA is selling special launch tickets starting at R$119 (US$22), including holidays and special dates such as New Year’s Eve and Carnaval. By 2022, the company plans to serve 35 destinations. The inaugural flight will take off on June 29, between the airports of Guarulhos (GRU) and Brasília (BSB)

ITA currently employs 500 people and plans to hire 2,500 more by 2022. The investments are welcome news in one of the worst economic moments in the history of the airline industry.

The company’s fleet will comprise 40 Airbus A320 aircraft, with 162-passenger capacity, and another 10 A319 aircraft, which can carry up to 144 passengers. Initially, ITA should operate with 10 A320 aircraft in June, and the remainder will be incorporated into the operation by 2022.

A novelty in relation to its competitors is free checking of the first piece of luggage up to 23 kilos.

The Itapemirim group, which is still under receivership proceedings, spent almost R$30 million between September 2020 and March 2021, mainly with the creation of the new airline. It is worth noting that US$500 million will come from two Qatari funds.

The details of the funds have not yet been disclosed because they are covered by a confidentiality agreement. However, it can be said that the investment is a kind of financing, to be paid back when ITA goes public – which should only happen after 2023.

On the other hand, the Brazilian airline network has not yet taken off in 2021. Although January reached a peak of 1,798 daily take-offs, from February on operations began to decline, when the daily average fell to 1,469. In March, there was a new decline to 1,177 take-offs and, finally, in April, the average number of daily departures stood at 858, according to the Brazilian Airline Association (ABEAR).

Currently, the domestic air network is equivalent to only 35.7% of flight offer in the beginning of March 2020, before social isolation measures and border closures.

Source: Veja