VASP

From Free net encyclopedia

For the molecular dynamics simulation code, see Vienna Ab-initio Simulation Package

VASP (Viação Aérea São Paulo) was an airline based in São Paulo, Brazil. It was the second largest scheduled airline in Brazil. It had main bases at Congonhas Domestic Airport (CGH) and Guarulhos International Airport (GRU), Sao Paulo.

1 Code data
2 History
3 Services
4 Fleet

[edit]

Code data

IATA Code: VP
ICAO Code: VSP
Callsign: Vasp

[edit]

History

The airline was established on November 4 1933 and started operations in 1933. VASP was the first airline to serve the interior of the state of São Paulo. At the start of the 1930s, it was the only carrier to operate with land planes. At the time this was a real exploit due to the lack of adequate non-coastal airports. Many landing strips were improvised in flat pastures. This insistence on using only land planes led to the building in 1936 of one of the country’s most important airports, Congonhas, located in the city of São Paulo, far from the coast.

VASP was privatized in 1990. A majority stake was bought by the VOE/Canhedo Group, a company formed by the Canhedo Group of Brasilia and VASP employees. Under the command of its new owner and president, Wagner Canhedo, quickly expanded operations in the country, and created international routes, being the second Brazilian company to do so after 1965. In 2002, it interrupted all of its international operations to concentrate in the domestic market. By this time, VASP was the fourth largest airline in Brazil, using an old fleet of Boeing 737s and Airbus A300.

The company had been facing its worst crisis from 2004, which led to the suspension of service to some Brazilian cities and the cancellation of flights. As a result, VASP - once a proud, competitive airline - had its market share reduced to only 10% of the Brazilian domestic market. It holds a 50.1% share of Ecuatoriana de Aviacion.

On 27 January 2005, Brazil's civil aviation regulator, DAC, grounded the airline from operating scheduled services following the start of a financial investigation. VASP is being allowed to operate charter services until April 2005, but must prove its financial stability if it is to retain its air operators certificate.

[edit]