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DALLAS — In 1955, Brazilian entrepreneur Omar Fontana founded Transbrasil (TR), a now-defunct airline based at Concórdia Airport (CCI). The airline was established as a sister company of S/A Indústria e Comércio Concórdia, commonly known as Sadia. Sadia (QD) took its inaugural flight on March 16, 1956, utilizing a Douglas DC-3 aircraft.
As Transbrasil expanded its route network, it played a significant role in the development of Concórdia Airport (CCI). In 1957, QD formed a partnership with Real Transportes Aéreos, which lasted until the latter's closure in 1961.
A year later, QD acquired TASSA (Transportes Aéreos Salvador) and incorporated the Handley Page Dart Herald into its fleet. On September 17, 1970, Transbrasil embraced the jet age by introducing the BAC One-Eleven to its lineup of aircraft.
Fleet Renewal
In 1972, Sadia transformed and rebranded as Transbrasil S/A Lineas Aereas. This marked the beginning of an extensive fleet renewal program for the airline. The Handley Page Heralds, BAC One-Elevens, and Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirantes were gradually replaced with the introduction of the Boeing 727-100.
In 1983, Transbrasil took a significant step towards expanding its operations internationally with the incorporation of the Boeing 767. This enabled the airline to offer charter flights initially and later scheduled flights, connecting various destinations across South America, the United States, Austria, the United Kingdom, and Portugal.
Transbrasil successfully positioned itself as the second-largest carrier in Brazil, following Varig (RG). However, the emergence of new airlines such as Gol (G3) and TAM Linhas Aéreas (KK) had a detrimental impact on its financial stability.
Unfortunately, on December 3, 2001, Transbrasil's fleet was grounded, leading to a series of financial challenges. Two years later, the airline was ultimately declared bankrupt, bringing an end to its operations.
Featured image: Transbrasil would operate nine Boeing 767-200ERs between 1983 and the airline's demise in 2001.
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Exploring Airline History Volume I
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David H. Stringer, the History Editor for AIRWAYS Magazine, has chronicled the story of the commercial aviation industry with his airline history articles that have appeared in AIRWAYS over two decades. Here, for the first time, is a compilation of those articles.
Subjects A through C are presented in this first of three volumes. Covering topics such as the airlines of Alaska at the time of statehood and Canada's regional airlines of the 1960s, the individual histories of such carriers as Allegheny, American, Braniff, and Continental are also included in Volume One. Get your copy today!
February 2025
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