Paraguayan Airlines returns under Brazilian Nella’s ownership

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The news was announced in several Paraguayan media after Brazilian lowcost airline Nella’s CEO Mauricio Souza and National Directorate of Civil Aviation head Felix Kanazawa were interviewed by Paraguay’s ‘La Nación’ newspaper.

According to the regulator, Nella will hold a very important asset, namely the prospect of exploiting the LAP (Líneas Aéreas Paraguayas) brand, which carried the country’s name to many areas of the world between the 1960s and 1990s.

“We will abandon the LAP brand, but we will keep the name and refer to it as ‘by Nella’. This is 100% private company investment. It is very important for us and for aviation in general, considering that the Paraguayan airline has not been operating for a long time,” said Kanazawa, adding that: “with this step, we are showing that our country has an attractive economic indicator for investors.”

“We will refurbish 2 Boeing 737 aircraft with the original LAP colors, as it is a historical brand for Paraguay, and it would be very gratifying for all of us if we can represent the country to the world. We expect and want to start flying in March 2022″, said Nella Airlines CEO Mauricio Souza.

Souza explained that the aircraft to be used for operations in Paraguay is a Boeing 737-800 with capacity for 189 passengers: “First we will sign the contracts for the assignment of the LAP brand, then we will adapt the aircraft and start operating.” Mauricio said that initially the company will operate routes connecting Paraguay with Brazil, Peru, Bolivia and Argentina, but that all the information will be detailed once the contracts are signed.

Nella also plans to open a workshop capable of servicing the company’s engines as well as those of third parties. This plan would employ up to 400 people in Paraguay, such as pilots, technicians, engineers, operational and administrative personnel, among others.

The group acquired Venezuelan airline Albatros in July 2021, and according to Mauricio Souza it plans to add “two other countries where we will soon be operating,” in addition to Brazil and Bolivia, hinting at the potential purchase of other airlines.

In an official statement, the Nella Airlines Group recently stated that it “started operating in a market that handled around 4 million passengers a year before the pandemic and that by June 2021 had recovered 78% of demand. We are confident in the rapid increase in the volume of passengers and cargo Nella will carry in Latin America, with great connectivity.”