The new Brazilian airline Itapemirim Transportes Aereos (ITA) announced that it had been approved by ANAC (civil aviation agency) to perform commercial flights in the country.
The air operator certificate was obtained after completing a series of evaluation flights in the past few weeks with its only Airbus A320 already received.
The new carrier said that “the beginning of sales of airline tickets should happen soon”, as well as the debut date and the routes that will be launched. ITA plans to have 10 leased A320ceo that will be configured with only 162 seats.
“We are witnessing an important milestone in the history of Brazilian civil aviation. Today, we are proud to announce that we have met, within the official deadline, all the requirements demanded by ANAC. This dream was only possible due to the commitment of all the directors and employees of the Group Itapemirim “, said Sidnei Piva, president of the Itapemirim group.
The launch of ITA in Brazilian air travel has been viewed with skepticism by the market. The group, originally from road transport, has been in judicial reorganization for several years, but said it had received financial resources from an undisclosed United Arab Emirates investment fund.
The company intends to offer a better quality service, in addition to the greater space between the seats, but the strategy comes up against a lower revenue margin since ITA promises competitive rates.
The debut also takes place at a time when air travel in Brazil has suffered greatly from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, which placed the country’s three largest carriers (Gol, LATAM and Azul) in a delicate financial situation.
The bankruptcy of Avianca Brasil (OceanAir) is a very recent example of the difficulty of the Brazilian market. The airline saw its debts become unpayable after attempting an expansion that included more modern planes, long-haul flights and cheaper tickets.
