VARIG
- São Paulo - Guarulhos
- São Paulo - Congonhas
VARIG was a Brazilian airline based in Porto Alegre and Rio de Janeiro. The brand name was taken over in 2007 by the Brazilian Gol Transportes Aéreos also, but no longer uses this since 2010. He continues to exist as Varig Log, Varig Logistica SA brand name of, a cargo carrier which has split off in 2000 by Varig and is in bankruptcy since 2012.
History
VARIG - Viação Aérea Rio Gran Dense S. A. was established on 7 May 1927 by German immigrant Otto Ernst Meyer, a former Reich Air Force pilots. As of June 15, flew Varig with a Dornier Wal, first national, from August 5 internationally. The first major flight route graduated from the Lockheed L- 1046G Super Constellation from Rio de Janeiro to New York with great success, because the management had used attractive flight attendants on this route. As of December 1959, this route flew the Sud Aviation Caravelle, which was quickly replaced by the Boeing 707, from 1960, the first was delivered.
Rise
In August 1961, Varig bought the Redes Ltda Estaduais Aéreas and thus became the largest airline in South America. In February 1965, Varig were of of the then military government intercontinental routes, and several DC-8 who attended this, the dubious circumstances declared bankrupt Panair do Brasil, Brazil's leading airline at that time allocated. The domestic routes Hawker Siddeley 748 graduated from November 1967. It replaced the Douglas DC-3 and Convair CV 240 in the 1960 another Boeing 707 were delivered, with whom Varig Tokyo and Johannesburg had approached.
The first wide-body aircraft, the McDonnell Douglas DC-10 -30, was delivered on 29 May 1971.
Gradually, Varig bought up smaller regional airlines, including the Cruzeiro do Sul, their identity is not lost in spite of her new owner. On 30 January 1981, the first Boeing 747 was delivered to Varig and in June 1981 the first Airbus A300.
Varig separated in the year 1998 by its last Boeing 747-300. There were four Boeing 747 Cathay Pacific Airways, one of the Focus Air at Atlas Air, the South African Airways, which had already scrapped the aircraft two years after the purchase, and the Garuda Indonesia. The two remaining machines bought Iberia and Air New Zealand. The Airbus itself remained in any case only a few years in the fleet and has already been rejected in the late 1980s. Since then, the McDonnell Douglas MD -11 Varig long-haul fleet, supported dominated by the Boeing 767 Similar to Delta and American was the 747 taken out of the route network, a trend of the past decade. In October 1989, Varig lost the monopoly on international scheduled flights, so that other Brazilian companies such as the Trans Brasil could accommodate international flights.
Descent
Increasing competition in the Brazilian market continued the Varig too strong. Its market share fell below 30%, while TAM Linhas Aéreas could advance with 43% of the market leaders and newcomers Gol Transportes Aéreos now controlled 28 % of the market. Messed management structures and because of the financial situation only weak resistance in the cut-throat competition could bring down Brazil's former national pride in an uncontrolled descent. The Varig group had now amassed debts of more than three billion U.S. dollars, with Brazilian, state creditors. The Brazilian government tried to obtain a merger with TAM 2003. Although already the first steps of the merger were taken failed the project.
In July 2005, Varig filed for bankruptcy protection in order to prevent the seizure of their planes by creditors. On 20 July 2006, it was sold for 24 million U.S. dollars to the former cargo subsidiary Varig Log. The purchase price is considered by experts to be extremely low for such an airline. The purchaser and only Bidder secured investments of 485 million dollars to save the Varig before the corner. To the mountain of debt the old Varig not to use, the new Varig was - VRG Linhas Aéreas founded as a separate company.
On July 21, 2006 to on Frankfurt and Buenos Aires all international connections have been discontinued. In Brazil, only Porto Alegre, Recife, Salvador, Fortaleza, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo remained in the route network.
On 14 December 2006, the new Varig all necessary operating permits, including the particularly important certification as an air transport undertaking were ( Certificação de Homologação de Empresas de Transporte Aéreo - Cheta ) by the National Agency of Civil Aviation of Brazil ( Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil - ANAC ) awarded.
However, the acquisition of the old Varig VRG Linhas Aéreas meant by (the name Varig should be, however, retain ) the termination of membership in the Star Alliance, an important marketing tool, January 31, 2007. The official reason was that the Varig after the transition to the new company no longer meets the requirements for membership. In fact, they had become worthless for the Star Alliance because of their thinned route network in the home country.
The President of the Varig, Guilherme Laager, announced on 8 January 2007 that even in January 2007, ten more machines should be purchased and VRG Linhas Aéreas until the end of 2007 was to hold 20 percent of domestic traffic again. At times, negotiations were conducted over a recording of the Star Alliance and Oneworld Alliance.
Sale
In April 2007, Varig for 320 million dollars (240 million euros ) was acquired by the Brazilian airline Gol. As of mid-June 2007 Varig flew next to São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro again separately from Frankfurt am Main to, bringing the number of flights increased to 14 per week. In early 2008 announced Varig, adjust the flights to London on 1 March 2008 and those to Frankfurt and Rome as of March 29, 2008. The flights to Mexico City were adjusted to Madrid 12 May 2008 11 May 2008. As a final destination outside South America thus remained Paris. First, the setting of these flights had been scheduled for June 9, 2008, but this deadline was postponed because of the still existing demand on the 31 August 2008. Since then, the VARIG no goals outside of South America flies to more. The two long-haul Boeing 767 were taken over by the parent company Gol, but flew initially in Varig livery.
Setting of flights
In June 2009, all flights had to be independent. Thus Varig has no aircraft operated more. The aircraft will be used since the time on routes of Gol. After over 70 years of experience the former Varig in aviation, business Varig Log independent operations as a cargo airline between August 2000 and February 2012.
Fleet
In June 2010, Varig operated 26 aircraft, which all came from the fleet of the parent company Gol: