Panair do Brasil (or simply "Panair") was one of the main airlines in Brazil, and Latin America's largest carrier between 1945 and 1965.
[edit] History
[edit] 1929-1945
Panair do Brasil began operations in October 22, 1929, as NYRBA do Brasil S.A., a local subsidiary of NYRBA, Inc. (New York, Rio, and Buenos Aires Line). One year later, as the parent company was acquired by Pan American World Airways, this affiliate was renamed Panair do Brasil S.A.
[edit] 1945-1965
Shortly after the end of World War II, Panair started its services to Europe, being the only Brazilian airline with a concession to fly to that region. Panair was the first international airline to land on the then newly-inaugurated London Heathrow Airport, in April, 1946. The airline set a high standard for its services and for many years the expression 'padrão Panair' (Panair standard) was a synonym for excellence. Panair do Brasil was forced to declare bankruptcy and cease operations abruptly on February 10, 1965, when the Brazilian military government, which seized power the year before, suspended its routes and allotted them to Varig. Furthermore, 3 of its Caravelles and 3 of its Catalinas were leased to Cruzeiro do Sul, and 2 of its DC-8-33 to Varig.
[edit] 1965-2009
The controversial decision to liquidate Panair so suddenly triggered a lengthy legal battle. In December 1984, the courts acknowledged that the airline had operated within regular technical and financial parameters when it was shut down, and the government was sentenced to pay reparations to its former owners. The forced bankruptcy was suspended on May 5, 1995, and the company now seeks indemnizations from the Ministry of Justice. On August 27, 2009, with a 44-year delay, the Air Command of the Brazilian Ministry of Defence revoked Panair's route and schedule concessions,[1] which are madatory for airline operations.
[edit] Destinations
Source: Pereira, Aldo (1987). Breve História da Aviação Comercial Brasileira. Rio de Janeiro: Europa. pp. 337-341.
[edit] Accidents and Incidents
[edit] Accidents Involving Fatalities
- 18 August 1941: a Lockheed L-18 Lodestar registration PP-PBD crashed on the Cantareira mountain range near São Paulo. Of the 13 passengers and crew aboard, 8 died.
- 18 April 1956: a Consolidated PBY-5A/6A Catalina registration PP-PDB flying from Belém to Parintins broke in two after striking a submerged object or debris on landing procedures. Of the 12 passengers and crew aboard, 3 died.
- 1 November 1961: a Douglas DC-7C registration PP-PDO en route from Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro - Galeão via Sal and Recife, during its final approach at Recife, struck a 84m hill 2,7km away from the runway and broke-up. The aircraft was doing a night approach too low and outside the regular traffic pattern. All 45 passengers and crew died.
- 14 December 1962: a Lockheed L-049 Constellation registration PP-PDE en route from Belém to Manaus - Ponta Pelada crashed in the jungle, during a night approach, due to unknown causes, approximately 45km from Manaus at the location of Paraná da Eva. All 50 passengers and crew died.
[edit] Incidents
[edit] Curiosities
- Panair do Brasil was the first non-US airline to acquire the Lockheed Constellation.
- In the 1940s, the airline had the most extensive network of domestic routes in the world.
- Panair seconded only UK's BOAC in placing orders for the de Havilland Comet, the world's first commercial jet airliner. The orders were later cancelled due to flaws on the plane's original design.
- Just as Pan Am called their planes "Clippers", Panair do Brasil baptized its fleet with the names of "Bandeirantes".
- Panair do Brasil DC-8s can be seen in a handful of movies, including the Italian-French co-production, Copacabana (1962), as well as the French productions La Peau Douce (1964) and L'homme de Rio (1964).
- The abrupt shutdown of Panair by the military dictatorship was so traumatic to Brazilian society that celebrated musicians Fernando Brant and Milton Nascimento composed a song called "Nas asas da Panair" ("On the Wings of Panair") as a tribute to the airline.
- Part of Panair's logo is still visible at the company's former hangar at Santos Dumont Airport.
- Former employees of Panair do Brasil, their families and friends attend an annual reunion on the week of October 22, the airline's birthday. This tradition has been religiously preserved since 1966 and there is a movement to include it in the Guinness World Records.
- The airline has been the theme of a number of books. The most recent, Pouso forçado (2005) ("Forced Landing"), made it to the finalists of Prêmio Jabuti, Brazil's most important literature award.[2]
- Panair do Brasil, a documentary about the company written by Marco Altberg, was exhibited at Festival do Rio (2007). It was released in 2008.[3]
[edit] See also
NYRBA do Brasil
NYRBA (New York, Rio, and Buenos Aires Line)
Pan American World Airways
[edit] References
[edit] Bibliography
- (Portuguese) Abreu, Theophilo E. (2000). Nas asas da Panair.
- Banning, Gene (2001). Airlines of Pan American since 1927. Paladwr. ISBN 1888962178.
- Davies, R.E.G. (1987). Pan Am: An Airline and Its Aircraft. Crown. ISBN 0517566397.
- (Portuguese) Medeiros, Jo Dutra et al. (1979). A história da Panair do Brasil: 50 anos. Editora Técnica da Aviação.
- O'Neill, Ralph (1973). A Dream of Eagles. San Francisco Book Company/Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 0-913374-02-4.
- (Portuguese) Palhano Barbosa, Nair (1996). Nas asas da história: Lembranças da Panair do Brasil. Agir. ISBN 85-220-0467-6.
- (Portuguese) Pereira, Aldo (1987). Breve História da Aviação Comercial Brasileira. Rio de Janeiro: Europa.
- (Portuguese) Sasaki, Daniel L. (2005). Pouso Forçado: A história por trás da destruição da Panair do Brasil pelo regime militar. Record.
- Wegg, John (2005). Caravelle: The complete story. Paladwr.
[edit] External links
| Airlines of Brazil | | | Domestic | |  | | | Int'l and Domestic | | | | Cargo Only | | | | Defunct/Grounded | | |
