Summary

  • Avianca Brasil had a fleet of 100 aircraft, including Airbus, Boeing, Embraer, and Fokker-made planes.
  • Most of its Fokker aircraft have been scrapped, but two continue to operate flights in Australia.
  • The A320neos and A320ceos found new operators, while the A318s and A319s are mostly scrapped or stored.

Avianca Brasil was an airline that flew in the South American country between 1998 and 2019. After a lengthy financial crisis, it filed for bankruptcy in 2019, leaving a space quickly taken by other domestic carriers, including Azul, GOL Linhas Aéreas, and LATAM Brasil. Let’s take a look at its former fleet and what happened to it.

According to data from ch-aviation, Avianca Brasil had 100 aircraft in its history. It employed a varied fleet, including Airbus, Boeing, Embraer, and Fokker-made aircraft. Avianca Brasil’s fleet was at its largest in 2015, when it operated 13 Fokker 100, one Airbus A330-200F, 28 Airbus A320ceos, four A319ceos, and 14 A318-100s, for a total of 60 aircraft. Let’s review first what happened to the airline’s Fokkers.

The Fokkers

Ch-aviation states that the carrier had 16 Fokker 100s and five Fokker 50s in its history. The Fokker 100s entered the company between 2005 and 2018. They mostly left the company between 2015 and 2016.

Eight years later, most of these planes are stored, disassembled, or displayed. Nonetheless, two continue to operate flights. These planes (Brazilian registrations PR-OAQ and PR-OAR) currently fly in Australia. They are owned by Qantas Group Airline and fly on the Network Aviation branch.

An Avianca Brasil Fokker F100 flying in the sky.
Photo: Joa Souza/Shutterstock.

Of the rest, a majority were scrapped following their exit from Avianca Brasil. One even became a restaurant, of which you can read more here. However, some found new owners and briefly flew with companies such as Bek Air and TUS Airways.

The Fokker F50s were in Avianca Brasil’s fleet between 2003 and 2008; the company had five of the type throughout its history. None of these planes are currently active, however. One of them, Brazilian registration PR-OAC, crashed in 2014 at Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (NBO) in Kenya.

Airbus Aircraft

Avianca Brasil primarily operated Airbus aircraft throughout its history. According to ch-aviation’s data, the airline had 15 A318s, four A319s, 28 A320ceos, 12 A320neos, five A330-200s, and one A330-200F.

Unsurprisingly, the A320neos quickly found a new operator following their exit from Avianca Brasil’s fleet. As it happens, all 12 of them found a new single home and are still in Brazil; these planes are currently flying with Azul Linhas Aéreas.

An Avianca Brasil Airbus A320ceo flying in the sky.
Photo: Matheus Obst/Shutterstock.

Avianca Brasil’s former A320ceo fleet also found new homes. Four currently fly with Allegiant Air in the United States; another four are on Austrian Airlines’ fleet. LATAM Brasil currently flies 14 former Avianca Brasil A320ceos, and easyJet UK has one. Five stayed within the Avianca family and are now in Colombia.

Avianca Brasil’s former A318s are currently scrapped or stored, mainly in the South American country. Three of the four A319s are in the same situation, though one is now flying with Myanmar Airways International.

An Avianca Brasil aircraft about to land.
Photo: A.RICARDO/Shutterstock.

Finally, Avianca Brasil’s five A330-200s and A330-200F; of these six planes, two are with Avianca, two with the Brazilian Air Force, and two with Armée de l’Air.

The Boeing Fleet

In its history, Avianca Brasil had four Boeing 767-300ERs, two 737-300s, and two 757-200s. They were all briefly in the company from 2007 to 2009. Only one of the 767-300ERs has been scrapped. The others are flying for Ukraine International Airlines (former registration PR-ONA, stored due to the Ukrainian-Russian conflict), Azur Air (formerly PP-VTC), and iAero Airways (formerly PR-ONB).

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Both of Avianca Brasil’s 737-300s have since been scrapped. They had registrations PR-BRB and PR-BRD. Finally, the two 757-200s fly for Jet2 in the United Kingdom.

Embraer Airliners

Avianca Brasil operated five Embraer EMB-120RTs in its history. They were in the company in the 2000s, mostly between 2002 and 2006. Most of these planes are currently scrapped and stored at Sorocaba, Brazil. One is kept in Bogota, and last flew with SARPA, a Colombian regional carrier.

Did you ever fly with Avianca Brasil? Do you remember which aircraft you boarded? Let us know in the comments below.

Source: ch-aviation.