The departure ofOcean Air follows the setbacks experienced by the carrier in the Brazil. The company had been under court protection against bankruptcy for several months due to its insolvency. The carrier had its Air Operator Certificate (AOC) withdrawn by the Brazilian regulatory authority. ANAC. The company has been active in Brazil since 1997. Based in Sao PauloAt the time, it served essentially as a feeder to the Avianca Colombia and Peru network. Last April, it offered flights to four Brazilian cities in connection with Avianca flights to Bogota or Lima.
" Avianca Brasil, which joined in 2015, made a significant contribution to our customer offering in the Brazilian market and we regret this unfortunate development.said Jeffrey Goh, CEO of Star Alliance. " I would like to stress that the departure of Avianca Brasil in no way affects the membership of Avianca S.A., based in Bogota, Colombia, which, as a member, continues to make a significant contribution to the Alliance in South America. ".
Star Alliance remains present with a competitive network in the region. Eleven companies Star Alliance member airlines offer direct flights to and from Brazil: Air Canada, Avianca, Air China, Copa Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines, Lufthansa, SWISS, South African Airways, TAP Air Portugal, Turkish Airlines and United. They offer a total of 588 weekly flights departing from 11 towns in Brazil to 17 Star Alliance hubs. With connections to 738 international destinations, Star Alliance claims to offer more transfer options between Brazil and the rest of the world than any other alliance.
Star has had a run of bad luck in Brazil, reflecting the fragility of the country's airline market. First it lost the national airline VARIGwhich was a member from 1997 to 2007. After joining the private airline TAM in 2010, Star finally lost its membership after the carrier merged with LAM, thus joining the alliance. Oneworld...
