Charter and wet-lease specialist Avion Express is moving closer to establishing a division in Brazil, commencing the process to obtain an air operator’s certificate.
Avion Express had disclosed in May last year that it wanted to set up a Brazilian charter division.
It states that it will start with five to 10 aircraft – using part of its European fleet – and commence operations in the fourth quarter of this year.
The company aims to scale-up the new carrier, named Avion Express Brasil, to 25 aircraft by 2027-28.
“While [Avion Express] has firmly established itself in Europe, our strategic focus now extends to other markets,” says chief executive Darius Kajokas.
These targets include Latin America and southeast Asia, he says.
Kajokas claims wet-lease would be a “rather novel concept” for the Brazilian market, which has around 100 million annual passengers, adding that the market is “counter-cyclical” to that in Europe.
“Our services will create additional tools for local Brazilian airlines and tour operators to reach higher operational efficiencies throughout the year,” he says.
Kajokas also cites Brazilian regulatory efforts to “facilitate and speed up” certification processes.
