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Website Varig
Warning: This page is only a reproduction of Varig's website in the past. The information below is no longer valid.
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Commercial
aviation began in Brazil on May 7, 1927, in the State of Rio
Grande do Sul. On that date VARIG was founded. On the same date
cargo transportation started between Porto Alegre, Pelotas and
Rio Grande, a service that until then comprised mail only. At that moment, air transport crossed an essential threshold, making the airplane a revolutionary means of transportation. Aviation solved several problems: in emergencies sick people could be helped with medicine brought in from the capital cities; machinery repairs that used to take weeks could be speeded up; newspapers could be immediately delivered, bringing the latest news to the countryside. Soon industry and trade realized how useful aviation could be in helping to expand and conquer new markets for their products. Companies that pioneered the use of this new means of transportation took the leadership, beating their competitors by speeding up operations, by being able to ship perishable goods safely and by ensuring continued and effective supplies to their consumer markets. At the beginning, cargo was classified as supplementary revenue, using only the load margin available on passenger aircraft. This scenario remained unchanged until 1944, when VARIG, noticing the growth of this market, started cargo-only flights between Porto Alegre and Pelotas. At that time, cargo used to be transported on Junkers F13 single-engine aircraft and on twin-engine Electra 10. Both aircraft could transport up to 880kg. After a fast local expansion, VARIG extended its lines to Curitiba, using the Electra 10, and subsequently to São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, offering three flights a week and operating the Douglas C-47s (Dakota DC-3s) that had become available at the end of World War II. At the same time it invested in passenger transportation, VARIG also invested in cargo transport, whose volume grew exponentially. Growth was so significant that on January 28, 1948, VARIG registered its first cargo-only Douglas C-47 with the DAC (the Brazilian CAB). At that same time, cargo departments were established in Porto Alegre, Curitiba, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. In order to supply a demand that, although small, was expanding rapidly, VARIG adopted mixed aircraft, i.e., aircraft in which the cabin was divided in two: a partition allowed the transport of cargo at the front, while 16 passengers were carried at the rear of the cabin. The initiative met with immediate success, and soon the first six Curtis Commander C-46s were purchased, two of which were assigned to cargo transportation alone. The expansion of the lines to the town of Natal represented much more than an increase in cargo transportation. In view of the new scenario, the sales promotion staff grew and the pioneer service that was soon inaugurated was subsequently copied by the competition. Even though it might seem easy, selling “empty space” on cargo aircraft was extremely difficult. Businessmen, accustomed to the conventional means of transportation, hesitated in shipping their goods by air, since they did not believe the profits would justify what they perceived as a risk. It took a great deal of information to convince the users of land and sea transport of the real advantages offered by air transport, which included: fast delivery; simplified packaging; reduction of stocks; fast working capital turnover; direct sales to consumers; fewer banking charges for redelivering invoices, etc. All these arguments were presented to demonstrate the economic advantages offered by air transport. VARIG played a key role in the expansion and activation of the Brazilian industry. A new industrial surge started: the shoe industry of Rio Grande do Sul conquered new markets, businesses all over the southern region increased sales and expanded activities, competing directly in other cities and reaching the North and Northeastern regions. All kinds of products, from pharmaceutical products, automobile parts and accessories, textiles, clothing, foodstuffs, shoes, etc. were transported on VARIG aircraft and shipped all over the country, thus supplying a variety of markets. Due to its pioneering spirit aiming at continuously improving services, VARIG inaugurated the night cargo flights, nicknamed “Corujão” (Big Owl). The flights met with instant and enormous success. In addition to the goods already carried, the transport of post and newspapers grew, making it possible for all Brazilians to receive the latest news from the large urban centers. In the 60’s, VARIG incorporated the B-707F, providing greater operational flexibility and more options to clients. In the 70’s, two more were added to the fleet, which, by 1980, comprised five B-727-100Fs. In 1985, VARIG inaugurated the São Paulo cargo distribution center (TECA), with cold stores, vault for valuables and storage area for perishable and hazardous goods. In 1986, two DC-10Fs were added to the Company’s cargo fleet. One year later, in 1987, the Rio de Janeiro cargo distribution center (TECA) was inaugurated, occupying two floors with a total area of 10,000 m² and the same features as São Paulo for special cargo storage. In 1993, VARIG started using the name "VARIG CARGO". Four years later, in August 1997, VARIG CARGO adopted a new corporate identity, used until now on all airplanes and cargo terminals, and launched the first site in Brazil that enabled on-line tracking. In May 1999 it was transformed into a Cargo Business Unit. At that time, the VARIG CARGO fleet comprised seven aircraft - five B-727-100Fs and 2 DC-10Fs – which, together with the cargo holds on the on the passenger aircraft, totaled 134 planes and covered over 4,000 towns in Brazil, in addition to 26 cities abroad, offering more than 200 weekly flights to the four continents. In 1999, VARIG CARGO was elected the best air cargo carrier of the Americas in the 20th Century and in 2000 it was awarded for the sixth time in a row the prize for best air cargo carrier in Brazil. In October 2000, VARIG LOG was established as a company by itself, independent from the VARIG group. VARIG Logística S.A., a new enterprise of the FRB Par Group, was founded with no restriction on future expansion of its activities. The new Company’s basic objective is to dedicate itself exclusively to air cargo transport and Logistics Solutions, ensuring greater agility in managing matters related with cargo, both conventional and parcel, in order to take advantage of the business opportunities now arising from integrated logistics and e-commerce.
Our fleet of
operational aircraft ensures extensive coverage and flight
frequencies with the best delivery timescales. The current cargo
fleet is made up of aircraft such as the: B727-100F, B727-200F,
DC-10F, MD-11 and Cessna 208-B.
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