Brazil’s National Civil Aviation Agency (Anac) granted permission on Tuesday to ITA Airways, or Italy Air Transport, to operate passenger and cargo flights in the country. The decision was made on April 20 but only published in today’s edition of the federal gazette.
ITA Airways is the successor to failed carrier Alitalia, which made its final flights last year — ending a 74-year history marred by a series of financial crises and bailouts by the Italian government. Per data from University of Milano Bicocca and Mediobanca, keeping Alitalia in the air cost Italian taxpayers at least EUR 5.4 billion (USD 5.75 billion) since 2008.
The Italian airline arrives in Brazil as demand for international flights starts to pick up again. The Federal Police issued almost 194,000 passports in March — more than in any other month since the beginning of the pandemic.
Search
