Nordeste Linhas Aereas Regionais
Encyclopedia
Nordeste Linhas Aéreas Regionais was a regional airline
based in Brotas
, Salvador, Bahia
, Brazil
which operated scheduled passenger services in northeast and southeast Brazil. Its main base was Deputado Luís Eduardo Magalhães International Airport
, Salvador.
Between 2006 and 2008, Viação Aérea Rio-grandense (informally known as old Varig) used the brand Nordeste Linhas Aéreas for its operations.
and parts of the Southeast
regions of Brazil, specifically the states of Piauí
, Ceará
, Rio Grande do Norte
, Paraíba
, Pernambuco
, Alagoas
, Sergipe
, Bahia
and parts of Maranhão
, Minas Gerais
, and Espírito Santo
plus the possibility of serving the cities of Rio de Janeiro
, São Paulo
, and Brasília
when linking them to its area of concession.
Originally Nordeste was formed by the Bahia state government which provided two-thirds of the start-up capital and Transbrasil
which provided one-third.
In 1995 Nordeste was bought and incorporated by Rio Sul Serviços Aéreos Regionais
, an airline owned by Ruben Berta Foundation, a foundation that also owned Varig
. Finally, in 2002 the administration of Varig, Rio-Sul and Nordeste was unified, although Ruben Berta Foundation kept the three brand names independent. At that time, the brands Nordeste and Rio Sul provided feeder services to Varig.
On 17 June 2005 Varig including its former subsidiaries requested to be placed under bankruptcy protection and to begin a recovery process. The request was granted on 22 June 2005.
As part of this process, the airline was divided into two portions, informally known as "old" Varig and "new" Varig. "Old" Varig was judicially known as Viação Aérea Rio-grandense. "New" Varig, judicially known as VRG Linhas Aéreas, is a new airline formed with some assets of the original Varig and which was auctioned on 14 July 2006. The legal procedures were finalized on 20 July 2006. Since that day VRG Linhas Aéreas and Viação Aérea Rio-grandense have been different judicial entities and airlines.
At the time of the auction, the assets of VRG Linhas Aéreas comprised the brands Varig and Rio Sul, Varig's route rights, all aircraft but one and the Smiles mileage program. VRG Linhas Aéreas was bought by VarigLog. On 28 March 2007 VarigLog sold "new Varig" to Gol Transportes Aéreos
, which presently operates the brand Varig and retains but does not operate the brand Rio Sul.
Viação Aérea Rio-grandense, informally known as "old Varig", retained the brand of Varig's former subsidiary Nordeste Linhas Aéreas Regionais, the IATA code of Nordeste, one aircraft, debts, liabilities, legal disputes, and various assets, concessions and properties of the original Varig. Since "old Varig", could not use the brand name Varig anymore, it used the brand name Nordeste Linhas Aéreas. Later, on October 23, 2007, the brand name was changed to Flex Linhas Aéreas
.
Between 17 June 2005 and 2 September 2009, Viação Aérea Rio-Grandense, operator of the brand Nordeste Linhas Aéreas and since 2007 known by the brand Flex, remained in Recovery Order in the 1st Business Court of Rio de Janeiro, under the leadership of Judges Luiz Roberto Ayoub and Miguel Dau. Since bankruptcy protection was lifted, the administration of the airline returned to its original owner, Fundação Ruben Berta. Currently "old Varig" is on a BRL4 billion (USD2,1 billion, EUR1,5 billion) judicial dispute with the Federal Government of Brazil, a sum that corresponds to approximately 50% of its debts. The question is under analysis at the Federal Supreme Court and the airline has already won the cause in all other instances. Furthermore, the financial problems of "old Varig" persist, including momentary failure to pay the due insurance costs of its sole aircraft and leasing fees to the owner of the aircraft.
On November 10, 2009 the director Aurélio Penelas was replaced by Carlos Berardinelli, who was able to reach an agreement with the lessor weeks later.
As a result of accumulated debts around BRL10 billion (USD5,7 billion, EUR4,5 billion), on August 20, 2010, at the request of the administrator, the 1st Business Court of Rio de Janeiro declared Flex, which included remaining assets of Nordeste, bankrupt and initiated the process of liquidation.
, Salvador and São Paulo
.
At the time of shut-down Nordeste Linhas Aéreas Regionais had a fleet of five aircraft.
Airline
An airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...
based in Brotas
Brotas (neighbourhood)
Brotas is a neighborhood located in the western zone of Salvador, Bahia. When Nordeste Linhas Aéreas Regionais existed, its headquarters were in Brotas....
, Salvador, Bahia
Bahia
Bahia is one of the 26 states of Brazil, and is located in the northeastern part of the country on the Atlantic coast. It is the fourth most populous Brazilian state after São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, and the fifth-largest in size...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
which operated scheduled passenger services in northeast and southeast Brazil. Its main base was Deputado Luís Eduardo Magalhães International Airport
Deputado Luís Eduardo Magalhães International Airport
Salvador-Deputado Luís Eduardo Magalhães International Airport , formerly called Dois de Julho International Airport is the airport serving Salvador da Bahia, Brazil...
, Salvador.
Between 2006 and 2008, Viação Aérea Rio-grandense (informally known as old Varig) used the brand Nordeste Linhas Aéreas for its operations.
History
On November 11, 1975 the Brazilian Federal Government created the Brazilian Integrated System of Regional Air Transportation and divided the country in five different regions, for which five newly-created regional airlines received a concession to operate air services. Nordeste Linhas Aéreas Regionais S/A was the second of those regional airlines to be made operational. Its services started on June 25, 1976 and its operational area comprised roughly the NortheastNortheast Region, Brazil
The Northeast Region of Brazil is composed of the following states: Maranhão, Piauí, Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Alagoas, Sergipe and Bahia, and it represents 18.26% of the Brazilian territory....
and parts of the Southeast
Southeast Region, Brazil
The Southeast Region of Brazil is composed by the states of Espírito Santo, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. It is the richest region of the country, responsible for approximately 60% of the Brazilian GDP. São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais are three richest states of Brazil,...
regions of Brazil, specifically the states of Piauí
Piauí
Piauí is one of the states of Brazil, located in the northeastern part of the country.Piauí has the shortest coastline of any of the non-landlocked Brazilian states at 66 km , and the capital, Teresina, is the only state capital in the north east to be located inland...
, Ceará
Ceará
Ceará is one of the 27 states of Brazil, located in the northeastern part of the country, on the Atlantic coast. It is currently the 8th largest Brazilian State by population and the 17th by area. It is also one of the main touristic destinations in Brazil. The state capital is the city of...
, Rio Grande do Norte
Rio Grande do Norte
Rio Grande do Norte is one of the states of Brazil, located in the northeastern region of the country, occupying the northeasternmost tip of the South American continent. Because of its geographic position, Rio Grande do Norte has a strategic importance. The capital and largest city is Natal...
, Paraíba
Paraíba
Paraíba Paraíba Paraíba (Tupi: pa'ra a'íba: "bad to navigation"; Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation: is a state of Brazil. It is located in the Brazilian Northeast, and is bordered by Rio Grande do Norte to the north, Ceará to the west, Pernambuco to the south and the Atlantic Ocean to the east...
, Pernambuco
Pernambuco
Pernambuco is a state of Brazil, located in the Northeast region of the country. To the north are the states of Paraíba and Ceará, to the west is Piauí, to the south are Alagoas and Bahia, and to the east is the Atlantic Ocean. There are about of beaches, some of the most beautiful in the...
, Alagoas
Alagoas
Alagoas is one of the 27 federative units of Brazil and is situated in the eastern part of the Northeast Region. It borders: Pernambuco ; Sergipe ; Bahia ; and the Atlantic Ocean . It occupies an area of 27,767 km², being slightly larger than Haiti...
, Sergipe
Sergipe
Sergipe , is the smallest state of the Brazilian Federation, located on the northeastern Atlantic coast of the country. It borders on two other states, Bahia to the south and west and Alagoas to the north, and to the east is the Atlantic Ocean...
, Bahia
Bahia
Bahia is one of the 26 states of Brazil, and is located in the northeastern part of the country on the Atlantic coast. It is the fourth most populous Brazilian state after São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, and the fifth-largest in size...
and parts of Maranhão
Maranhão
Maranhão is a northeastern state of Brazil. To the north lies the Atlantic Ocean. Maranhão is neighbored by the states of Piauí, Tocantins and Pará. The people of Maranhão have a distinctive accent...
, Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais is one of the 26 states of Brazil, of which it is the second most populous, the third richest, and the fourth largest in area. Minas Gerais is the Brazilian state with the largest number of Presidents of Brazil, the current one, Dilma Rousseff, being one of them. The capital is the...
, and Espírito Santo
Espírito Santo
Espírito Santo is one of the states of southeastern Brazil, often referred to by the abbreviation "ES". Its capital is Vitória and the largest city is Vila Velha. The name of the state means literally "holy spirit" after the Holy Ghost of Christianity...
plus the possibility of serving the cities of Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
, São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
, and Brasília
Brasília
Brasília is the capital city of Brazil. The name is commonly spelled Brasilia in English. The city and its District are located in the Central-West region of the country, along a plateau known as Planalto Central. It has a population of about 2,557,000 as of the 2008 IBGE estimate, making it the...
when linking them to its area of concession.
Originally Nordeste was formed by the Bahia state government which provided two-thirds of the start-up capital and Transbrasil
Transbrasil
TransBrasil is a defunct Brazilian airline which ceased operations in December 2001. During most of its history, Transbrasil was owned by local entrepeneur Omar Fontana. Its aircraft usually featured a colorful livery, remarkably with a rainbow on the tail fin. Transbrasil base was Brasilia...
which provided one-third.
In 1995 Nordeste was bought and incorporated by Rio Sul Serviços Aéreos Regionais
Rio Sul Serviços Aéreos Regionais
Rio Sul Serviços Aéreos Regionais was a regional airline headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, operating scheduled services to southern Brazil...
, an airline owned by Ruben Berta Foundation, a foundation that also owned Varig
Varig
VARIG was the first airline founded in Brazil, in 1927. From 1965 until 1990 it was Brazil's leading and almost only international airline...
. Finally, in 2002 the administration of Varig, Rio-Sul and Nordeste was unified, although Ruben Berta Foundation kept the three brand names independent. At that time, the brands Nordeste and Rio Sul provided feeder services to Varig.
On 17 June 2005 Varig including its former subsidiaries requested to be placed under bankruptcy protection and to begin a recovery process. The request was granted on 22 June 2005.
As part of this process, the airline was divided into two portions, informally known as "old" Varig and "new" Varig. "Old" Varig was judicially known as Viação Aérea Rio-grandense. "New" Varig, judicially known as VRG Linhas Aéreas, is a new airline formed with some assets of the original Varig and which was auctioned on 14 July 2006. The legal procedures were finalized on 20 July 2006. Since that day VRG Linhas Aéreas and Viação Aérea Rio-grandense have been different judicial entities and airlines.
At the time of the auction, the assets of VRG Linhas Aéreas comprised the brands Varig and Rio Sul, Varig's route rights, all aircraft but one and the Smiles mileage program. VRG Linhas Aéreas was bought by VarigLog. On 28 March 2007 VarigLog sold "new Varig" to Gol Transportes Aéreos
Gol Transportes Aéreos
Gol Transportes Aéreos is a Brazilian airline based in Comandante Lineu Gomes Square, São Paulo City, Brazil....
, which presently operates the brand Varig and retains but does not operate the brand Rio Sul.
Viação Aérea Rio-grandense, informally known as "old Varig", retained the brand of Varig's former subsidiary Nordeste Linhas Aéreas Regionais, the IATA code of Nordeste, one aircraft, debts, liabilities, legal disputes, and various assets, concessions and properties of the original Varig. Since "old Varig", could not use the brand name Varig anymore, it used the brand name Nordeste Linhas Aéreas. Later, on October 23, 2007, the brand name was changed to Flex Linhas Aéreas
Flex Linhas Aéreas
Flex Linhas Aéreas, styled as FLEX, was a Brazilian non-regular charter airline based at Rio de Janeiro-Galeão International Airport. It is the brand name of Nordeste Linhas Aéreas S.A., judicial successor of former Viação Aérea-Rio Grandense, known as Varig. Informally Flex is known as "old Varig"...
.
Between 17 June 2005 and 2 September 2009, Viação Aérea Rio-Grandense, operator of the brand Nordeste Linhas Aéreas and since 2007 known by the brand Flex, remained in Recovery Order in the 1st Business Court of Rio de Janeiro, under the leadership of Judges Luiz Roberto Ayoub and Miguel Dau. Since bankruptcy protection was lifted, the administration of the airline returned to its original owner, Fundação Ruben Berta. Currently "old Varig" is on a BRL4 billion (USD2,1 billion, EUR1,5 billion) judicial dispute with the Federal Government of Brazil, a sum that corresponds to approximately 50% of its debts. The question is under analysis at the Federal Supreme Court and the airline has already won the cause in all other instances. Furthermore, the financial problems of "old Varig" persist, including momentary failure to pay the due insurance costs of its sole aircraft and leasing fees to the owner of the aircraft.
On November 10, 2009 the director Aurélio Penelas was replaced by Carlos Berardinelli, who was able to reach an agreement with the lessor weeks later.
As a result of accumulated debts around BRL10 billion (USD5,7 billion, EUR4,5 billion), on August 20, 2010, at the request of the administrator, the 1st Business Court of Rio de Janeiro declared Flex, which included remaining assets of Nordeste, bankrupt and initiated the process of liquidation.
Destinations
Nordeste Linhas Aéreas Regionais operated services (in its own right) to the following domestic scheduled destinations (at January 2005): Porto SeguroPorto Seguro
Porto Seguro is a municipality in the Brazilian state of Bahia. It is the site where the Portuguese explorer Pedro Álvares Cabral first set foot on Brazilian soil on April 22, 1500...
, Salvador and São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
.
Fleet
| Aircraft | Total | Years of Operation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante The Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante is a general purpose 15-21 passenger twin-turboprop light transport aircraft suitable for military and civil duties... |
1976- | ||
| Embraer EMB 120 Brasília | |||
| Fokker 50 | |||
| Boeing 737-500 |
At the time of shut-down Nordeste Linhas Aéreas Regionais had a fleet of five aircraft.
Accidents and incidents
- 9 October 1985: an Embraer EMB110C BandeiranteEmbraer EMB 110 BandeiranteThe Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante is a general purpose 15-21 passenger twin-turboprop light transport aircraft suitable for military and civil duties...
registration PT-GKA operating a cargo flight from Vitória da ConquistaVitória da Conquista AirportPedro Otacílio Figueiredo Airport is the airport serving Vitória da Conquista, Brazil.It is operated by .-Airlines and destinations:-Accidents and incidents:...
to Salvador da BahiaDeputado Luís Eduardo Magalhães International AirportSalvador-Deputado Luís Eduardo Magalhães International Airport , formerly called Dois de Julho International Airport is the airport serving Salvador da Bahia, Brazil...
crashed during initial climb from Vitória da Conquista after flying unusually low. The two crew members died. - 11 November 1991: an Embraer EMB110P1 BandeiranteEmbraer EMB 110 BandeiranteThe Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante is a general purpose 15-21 passenger twin-turboprop light transport aircraft suitable for military and civil duties...
registration PT-SCU, flying from Recife to Salvador da BahiaDeputado Luís Eduardo Magalhães International AirportSalvador-Deputado Luís Eduardo Magalhães International Airport , formerly called Dois de Julho International Airport is the airport serving Salvador da Bahia, Brazil...
, during on initial climb had an engine failure followed by fire. The aircraft crashed on populated area. All 15 occupants of the aircraft and 2 persons on the ground died. - 3 February 1992: an Embraer EMB 110 BandeiranteEmbraer EMB 110 BandeiranteThe Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante is a general purpose 15-21 passenger twin-turboprop light transport aircraft suitable for military and civil duties...
registration PT-TBB en route from Salvador da BahiaDeputado Luís Eduardo Magalhães International AirportSalvador-Deputado Luís Eduardo Magalhães International Airport , formerly called Dois de Julho International Airport is the airport serving Salvador da Bahia, Brazil...
to GuanambiGuanambi AirportGuanambi Airport is the airport serving Guanambi, Brazil.-Airlines and destinations:-Accidents and incidents:*3 February 1992: a Nordeste Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante registration PT-TBB en route from Salvador da Bahia to Guanambi, descended below minimum levels in bad weather and crashed on a hill...
, descended below minimum levels in bad weather and crashed on a hill hidden by clouds near CaetitéCaetitéCaetité is a Brazilian city located in the state of Bahia, which possesses approximately 47,000 inhabitants and is situated 757 kilometers away from Salvador. Its 2306,38 km². Its economy is based mostly on amethyst mining, uranium, iron and manganese...
. All 12 passengers and crew aboard died.
See also
- Rio Sul Serviços Aéreos RegionaisRio Sul Serviços Aéreos RegionaisRio Sul Serviços Aéreos Regionais was a regional airline headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, operating scheduled services to southern Brazil...
- VarigVarigVARIG was the first airline founded in Brazil, in 1927. From 1965 until 1990 it was Brazil's leading and almost only international airline...
- Flex Linhas AéreasFlex Linhas AéreasFlex Linhas Aéreas, styled as FLEX, was a Brazilian non-regular charter airline based at Rio de Janeiro-Galeão International Airport. It is the brand name of Nordeste Linhas Aéreas S.A., judicial successor of former Viação Aérea-Rio Grandense, known as Varig. Informally Flex is known as "old Varig"...