Brazilian airline Varig is back at World Travel Market after relaunching services between Heathrow, São Paolo and Rio de Janeiro at the end of October.
The airline is now owned and operated by Linhas Aereas, owner of Brazilian low-cost carrier Gol, with the original carrier having ceased flying from the UK in June 2006.
The service operates six times a week, excluding Thursday, from Heathrow Terminal 2 and the carrier plans to take 30 UK agents on an initial familiarisation trip next year.
UK commercial manager Suzanne Faithful said the manner of the former Varig’s demise, with flights cancelled during the 2006 World Cup, had not affected perception of the carrier.
“Varig is a strong brand and we have had nothing but positive feedback from UK agents,” said Faithful, who has joined from Sabre and worked for British Airways for 16 years, much of the time in Latin America.
The airline is full-service and plans to roll out an enhanced business-class product by the end of next year as it reconfigures its fleet. Commercial general manager Dirk Alexander Graetz said: “We have merged some of the low-cost know-how on the technical, IT and commercial side with a full-service airline.”
The new Varig does not pay commission to agents, assuming they will add a fee, but Faithful said it has no plans to target consumers direct.
South America is generally poorly served from the UK, with most destinations requiring a flight via Madrid or Amsterdam. Only British Airways and Brazilian rival Tam also fly the London-São Paolo route.
Varig’s fares start at £499 return.