Yet a recent operation on Fontana's hands has made it difficult for this accomplished pianist to play. So he is sublimating his love for playing by composing a symphony, instructing other people to write down 'the music he can hear in his head'.
Fontana's vision and determination as regards his musical aspirations are equally evident in his role as chairman and executive president of Transbrasil, whose colourful livery has led to it being nicknamed Brazil's 'rainbow carrier'.
Fontana's clear picture of the future path that Transbrasil should tread was supplemented by consultancy Speedwing's review of the airline's operations in 1996. But Fontana remains frustrated at not being able to implement the necessary restructuring measures. This time, however, the impediment holding Fontana back is not a physical one but a financial one - Transbrasil is tremendously undercapitalised.
Just as Fontana gets people to translate his compositions, the chairman is determined to find a strategic airline partner to execute his plans for Transbrasil.
He aims for Transbrasil to go public within three years and for a foreign company, preferably an airline, to become a strategic partner and provide a much-needed capital injection. 'I do not believe that any Brazilian carrier can survive in future without strategic alliances. We want a partnership with one or two major carriers in either North America, Europe or Asia,' he says.
Fontana's aim is for a foreign airline to take over some of the Omar Fontana group's 76.38 per cent holding in Transbrasil. 'It is an absolute dream for an individual to be in control of an airline at the end of the twentieth century,' declares Fontana. The Transbrasil employees' foundation owns 17.48 per cent and public shareholders the remaining 6.14 per cent of the carrier.
According to Fontana's vision, Transbrasil's longed-for marriage with a foreign airline will result from a courtship of codesharing. His declaration points the finger at Delta Air Lines, due to start a codeshare with Transbrasil on 26 October.
Aside from a codeshare with a foreign airline, the other piece to be slotted into place before the airline launches a public offering is a compensation payment from the Brazilian government. Transbrasil is expecting US$720 million compensation in November 1997, after winning its case against the government on 17 June.
'By winning this case, we are going to transform negative equity to positive equity and negative accumulated losses to positive accumulated profits. Then we'll go public,' he says.
Although the Supreme Court of Brazil decided unanimously that the Federal State should pay Transbrasil the indemnification, its value remains subject to the court's certification audit.
The compensation relates to enforced price freezes under the economic policies adopted by the Brazilian federal government between 1986 and 1990. Transbrasil says tariffs failed to cover its costs by between 30 and 60 per cent during this period.
Once these funds are in place, the carrier looks set to execute the restructuring measures proposed by Speedwing. Fontana claims that he prematurely suspended the British Airways consultancy's review of the airline's operations because he lacked the necessary funds to implement the recommendations.
However, Fontana's reluctance to cede control to an external organisation may yet scupper the execution of Speedwing's advice.
One source reveals that, just as Speedwing was due to present its final review of Transbrasil's operations, Fontana told the consultants they could change 'everything they wanted' but he would make decisions relating to routes and the fleet.
He certainly has clear-cut and ambitious plans where these are concerned. Trans-brasil aims to increase its fleet from 23 to 35 aircraft by 2003 to achieve domestic market share of 35 per cent. Its domestic market share reached 24 per cent in 1996.
Clashes between the chairman and Speedwing centre on Transbrasil's international routes and hubbing strategy. Speedwing's recommendation that Transbrasil cut its eight international destinations met with a retort from Fontana that 'we cannot do that - our culture is to open new markets to avoid repeating what other people do'.
As justification for its proposal concerning Trans-brasil's international network, Speedwing points to alleged low yields on routes to the US, the result of severe competition. The airlines flies from Sao Paulo to Washington, New York, Orlando and Miami. 'Transbrasil is disputing the same Brazil-US market as United, Continental, American and Delta Air Lines,' says air transport consultant Mario Sampaio.
Fontana insists, however, that the airline's highest load factors are on international services. International load factors for July reached 76 per cent, surpassing the 73 per cent attained on domestic routes. Outside the US, Transbrasil serves London/Gatwick, Amsterdam and Vienna.
Indeed, Transbrasil is flouting Speedwing's advice with plans to launch routes later this year to Lisbon, Chilean destinations and, pending government approval, Moscow and Munich.
Fontana has also spurned Speedwing's recommendation that Transbrasil drop its second hub at Brasilia, telling the consultants: 'That's not your job'.
Transbrasil feeds flights through Brasilia from its main hub at Sïo Paulo on to the US and Brazilian domestic points. Similarly, flights to Europe from Sïo Paulo and Rio de Janeiro stop in northeastern Brazil to pick up additional traffic.
The strategy highlights Transbrasil's determination to be different. 'Every carrier flies nonstop,' says Fontana.
Maybe Transbrasil's unusual strategies will pay off. After all, appearances can be deceptive. Fontana, nicknamed 'the gentle giant', jokes that his large stature jars with the general perception of a pianist's appearance. 'My physical silhouette is more like a piano removal man than a piano player'.
Fontana is looking forward to the day when a foreign airline takes over some of the Fontana group's holding in Transbrasil, and new management is in place to head the airline. Then he plans to retire, focus on his music, and finish his symphony.
Source: Airline Business
