Avion Express Brasil

Avion Express Brasil is a Brazilian startup airline, ACMI and aircraft leasing operator headquartered in São Paulo. The airline is a subsidiary of Lithuanian Avion Express and part of Irish group Avia Solutions Group.



The intention of the new airline is, like the parent company, to carry out charter flights for tourism agencies, cargo and mainly to meet the growing demand for ACMI leases for airlines in Latin America.

History
The creation of the new Brazilian airline was announced on April 19, 2023, by the chief executive officer (CEO) of Avion Express, Darius Kajokas, through a publication on his personal profile on the social network LinkedIn, immediately announcing the hiring of an chief operating officer (COO) and a chief technical officer (CTO) to assist in the Avion Express Brasil certification process before the National Civil Aviation Agency of Brazil (ANAC).

According to the executive, the airline will be based in São Paulo and will operate a fleet of Airbus A320 narrow-body aircraft, offering cargo and passenger flights. The new airline's operations are expected to begin with 5 aircraft, with the ambition to increase the Avion Express Brasil fleet to up to 25 aircraft by 2028. This fleet will include Airbus A321F planes, which will support the company's freight operations, added.

In an interview with the specialized aviation portal ch-aviation, Kajokas indicated that he hoped to obtain the air operator's certificate (CHETA, in Portuguese) from Avion Express Brasil in the fourth quarter of 2023, but in a realistic scenario, due to bureaucracy, this should only happen in the first or second half of 2024. He also refused, at that time, to specify whether the new airline will have São Paulo Guarulhos International Airport or São Paulo Congonhas Airport as its hub.

Although Avion Express has firmly established itself in Europe, the executive also highlighted that the decision to launch a subsidiary in Brazil is in line with plans to expand to other markets, such as Latin America and Southeast Asia, highlighting the size of the Brazilian market as a key factor in choosing the country to establish the group's new airline. This strategic decision is also aligned with the initiatives launched by the Brazilian Government through (ANAC) to encourage the entry of foreign airlines into the Brazilian market within the scope of the "Voo Simples" (Simple Flight, in English) and 'Fly2Brazil' initiatives, which facilitate and speed up the processes for obtaining an air operator's certificate.



On December 28, 2023, through its website, Avion Express confirmed that it officially started its process to obtain the AOC in Brazil and the hiring of two Brazilian executives who will head Avion Express Brasil, Paulo Tarter as COO and Ruy Carlos Nogueira Lotz as CTO. The expectation is to obtain certification and begin operations in the third quarter of 2024.

On February 8, 2024, the Brazilian aviation portal AeroIN, citing sources close to Avion Express, confirmed the arrival of the first of five Airbus A320s in Brazil in June, when certification flights will begin, the last process in the stage for receive the green light from the aeronautical authorities to begin operating in the country. All of the first five planes will come from Avia Solutions Group, which owns Avion Express, SmartLynx Airlines and KlasJet.

On March 29, 2024, Avion Express Brasil reserved the Brazilian aeronautical registration PR-NVN for its first Brazilian-registered aircraft, the 13-year-old Airbus A320 serial number 4448, which will be transferred from parent company Avion Express to Brazil in the second quarter of 2024 to begin certification flights for the new airline, the last step before obtaining its AOC.

Fleet
The Avion Express fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of April 2024):