Today in 1933, Viação Aérea São Paulo, better known as VASP, was founded by private investors in São Paulo, Brazil. The airline's own historical account, preserved in a legislative archive, identifies November 4 as its founding date. Public ownership came later, in 1935.
Its first two aircraft were British-built Monospar twin-engine airplanes. They made inaugural flights from Campo de Marte on November 12, 1933, but those flights did not mark the start of uninterrupted commercial service. VASP subsequently had to await government permission to continue its routes.
A federal decree dated March 31, 1934 authorized the company to establish commercial air services in Brazil. The distinction separates the airline's formation and inaugural flights from its authorization to carry paying traffic.
From Private Company to State Control
Early operating losses led VASP to seek government help. In 1935, the state and municipal governments took control of the airline, according to its archived history. VASP began linking São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro in 1936.
The airline later expanded beyond its original regional network. Its 1962 acquisition of the Lloyd Aéreo group brought additional airlines and aircraft into the company.
VASP and the Air Bridge
VASP also helped build the Ponte Aérea, the shuttle linking São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. UOL's history of the service describes how VASP, Varig and Cruzeiro do Sul coordinated departures in 1959, with flights alternating at hourly intervals.
Passengers could board the next available flight regardless of which participating airline operated it. VASP initially used Saab Scandia aircraft. The arrangement pooled the carriers' services rather than requiring passengers to wait for their ticketed airline's next departure. The pool ended in 1999, although the route retained the Ponte Aérea name.
Privatization and International Expansion
VASP returned to private control in 1990. A São Paulo state decree records the consolidation of that transfer through a shareholders' meeting on October 15 that year.
Under Wagner Canhedo, the airline expanded internationally. The Brazilian Transport Memory Foundation's VASP history lists destinations in Asia, North America, Europe and Africa among the markets it served during that period.
Grounding and Bankruptcy
The expansion did not last. UOL's retrospective reports that VASP lost its largest aircraft amid debt problems in 2000 and withdrew from the international market. The airline stopped flying in 2005.
Flight operations and the company's legal existence followed different timelines. A Superior Court of Justice judgment records that VASP sought judicial reorganization in 2005 and that the proceedings were converted to bankruptcy in 2008.
The Aircraft Left Behind
VASP's grounded aircraft remained at Brazilian airports after the airline stopped flying. Their removal was part of the Espaço Livre program to recover airport space occupied by disused airplanes.
A government account of the clearance program places dismantling at Congonhas in August 2011. The program subsequently extended to other airports.
Featured image: VASP NAMC YS-11A at Rio de Janeiro-Santos Dumont Airport in 1972.
.png)
Featured image: VASP NAMC YS-11A at Santos Dumont in 1972. Photo: RuthAS/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0.
.webp)
