Puma Air Explained

Airline:Puma Air
Iata:Z4
Icao:PLY
Callsign:PUMA BRASIL
Founded:2002
Ceased:2011
Fleet Size:1
Parent:Angola Air Services
Headquarters:Belém, Brazil
Key People:Gleison Gamboni de Souza

Puma Air (Puma Linhas Aéreas) was a Brazilian airline founded in 2002. In August 2011 it ceased operations.

History

The airline was founded on January 21, 2002, with a fleet of 3 Cessna 208B Grand Caravan and serving 12 cities in the state of Pará. Originally a charter and air taxi operator, later it started to operate also scheduled flights.

After a period of expansion and becoming an important regional carrier on the Amazon region, Puma Air, under severe economical difficulties, grounded its aircraft and interrupted all services in February 2009. It was then sold and re-organized.[1]

The new share-holders composition was approved by ANAC in January 2010: 80% of the shares belong to the Brazilian company Ipiranga Obras Públicas e Privadas and to Gleison Gamboni e Souza, and 20% of the shares belong to the Angolan company Angola Air Services. Puma Air restarted its operations on April 12, 2010, with flights from Belém to Macapá and São Paulo,[2] after being grounded between January and March 2010. Puma Air does not restrict its services anymore to the Amazon region.

The airline planned to end the year 2010 with three Boeing 737-300s and to start operating a flight between Recife and Luanda,[3] using a Boeing 767-300ER wet-leased from Gol Airlines with Varig colors.[4] On August 23, 2010, the National Civil Aviation Agency of Brazil (ANAC) designated Puma Air to operate 4 weekly flights on the route.[5] However, in July 2011 those plans were still not implemented.

After being grounded since August 16, 2011, the airline lost its operational license on July 23, 2013.[6]

Destinations

Puma Air served the following cities:

CountryCityAirportNotes
BrazilBelémVal de Cans International Airport
BrazilFortalezaPinto Martins International Airport
AngolaLuandaQuatro de Fevereiro Airportcharter services with wet-leased aircraft
BrazilMacapáAlberto Alcolumbre International Airport
BrazilSão PauloGuarulhos/Gov. André Franco Montoro International Airport

Fleet

As of September 2011 the fleet of Puma Air included the following aircraft:[7]

Puma Air Fleet
AircraftTotalYears of operation
Cessna 208B Grand Caravan12002–2010
Embraer EMB 120 Brasília22006–2010
Boeing 737-30012010–2011

See also

References

  1. Web site: Puma Air Linhas Aéreas (Brasil) . Aviação Brasil . pt . 20 May 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120722225206/http://www.aviacaobrasil.com.br/wp/noticias/puma_air_linhas_aereas_brasil . 22 July 2012 .
  2. Web site: Companhia paraense Puma Air inicia voos Belém-São Paulo no final de março . pt . Cidade Biz . 16 March 2010 . 16 March 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110706151954/http://www.cidadebiz.com.br/paginas/51001_52000/51736-1.html . 6 July 2011 .
  3. Web site: Puma Air aposta em Norte e Nordeste e investe R$100 mi no 1̊ ano . 16 March 2010 . Folha Online . pt . 17 March 2010.
  4. Web site: Komatsu . Alberto . Varig vai à Europa e aos EUA com voo fretado . 18 March 2010 . Valor Online . pt . 18 March 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120723074951/http://www.valor.com.br/?impresso/empresas/95/6163488/varig-vai-a-europa-e-aos-eua-com--voo-fretado . 23 July 2012 . dead .
  5. Web site: Puma Air conquista quatro voos semanais para Angola . Panrotas . 24 August 2010 . 24 August 2010 . pt.
  6. Web site: Ata da reunião deliberativa realizada em 23 de julho de 2013 . ANAC . July 23, 2013 . August 4, 2013 . pt.
  7. Web site: Frota atual das empresas brasileiras . September 3, 2011 . September 4, 2011 . Aeromuseu . pt . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120226140040/http://www.aeromuseu.com.br/frota.htm . February 26, 2012 .

External links