Aviation company that operates exclusively in the inhospitable Amazon region in Brazil, MAP Linhas Aéreas announced plans this week to inaugurate its first international destination in Peru.
According to Alexandre Nascimento, MAP executive, the launch of new destinations in the company’s portfolio will help in the development of the Northern region of Brazil. “The greater offer of flights is expected to attract investors to the region, which will result in economic growth, for example in tourism,” he said.
Nascimento said that the company’s studies on new routes are advanced and that it will be possible to announce more details soon. “At first, the flight to Peru will leave Manaus with a stop in Rio Branco (state of Acre), going to Puerto Maldonado, Peru,” he explained.
MAP plans to increase the number of passengers transported from 150,000 – achieved in 2018 – to 200,000. “In order for this to happen, we are working to strengthen and expand our operations in the 14 municipalities of the states of Amazonas and Pará that are served by the company and including new routes,” said Nascimento.
Also as part of its strategy to expand its operations, MAP will soon announce the codeshare agreement signed with a major Brazilian airline, the commercial manager said. According to Airway, the partner company will be Gol Linhas Aéreas and the announcement should happen later this month. The two companies, however, have not yet commented on the matter.
Airports without infrastructure
Currently, MAP maintains regular flights to 14 cities in the states of Amazonas and Pará. In Amazonas, the company serves the capital, Manaus, in addition to Parintins, Lábrea, Carauari, São Gabriel da Cachoeira, Barcelos, Tefé, Eirunepé and Coari. In Pará, it has regular flights to Belém, Porto Trombetas, Santarém, Itaituba and Altamira.
Without a minimum infrastructure, these airports require the MAP itself to provide the basic equipment to enable its aircraft to operate in those regions.
The company in Manaus also started flights this week with a new aircraft, a turbo-propeller ATR 72-500. With this acquisition, the company now has three ATR 42 model airplanes for 45 occupants and three ATR 72 aircraft with a capacity of 66 passengers.
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