Ita Linhas Aereas is going to be a new airline in Brazil. The management of the new carrier has been busy meeting with air executives across Latin America like Airbus's manager for the region. They've also been studying the letters of intent for new aircraft and have announced its new hub. Let's investigate further.
The launching date
The Brazilian bus company Itapemirim is behind the new airline. Since the cease of operations of Avianca Brazil last year, the Brazilian air market has had three leading carriers. Now, there's the opportunity that one new player might emerge. There's the possibility of another new airline in Ita Linhas Aereas.
Having Itapemirim behind Ita Linhas Aereas is a big deal as it is the largest bus company in South America. The management of the company facilitated access to funding for the new airline.
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Tiago Senna, Ita's CEO, said in an interview that the airline was planning to launch its first bases in Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Brasilia. While those cities may still be on the radar, it seems that Ita Linhas Aereas plans to operate from another Brazilian town. According to the Brazilian newspaper Panrotas, Ita is in in-depth negotiations with the city of Vitória to use it as a hub.
Vitória is the capital of the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil. Its airport, Vitória-Goiabeiras, is not among the largest in the country. In 2019, it received three million passengers, under the Swiss airport operator Flughafen Zürich AG. Ita also said when it plans to start operating: 21 March 2020.
The importance of the letters of intent
Meanwhile, Ita Linhas Aereas has been busy working on the development of its future fleet. As we've reported previously, the airline plans to launch with a fleet of ten Airbus A320. It also expects to grow the fleet to 50 A320 by 2022.
Tiago Senna has been busy in this regard. According to its Linkedin site, the CEO met yesterday with Arturo Barreira, the Sales Vicepresident for Airbus in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Senna also posted a photo of himself analyzing the Letter Of Intents for acquiring seven planes. There's no much more detail regarding these negotiations, but a letter of intent shows serious interest from Ita to commit with the buy or lease of new aircraft.
What else do we know about Ita?
According to the company, it won't operate on regional routes, which seems odd. Instead, it plans to compete on dense routes and flights between capitals. In that sense, the choice of Vitória as one of its hubs makes sense. It also makes sense that the airline plans to operate in Brasilia, Sao Paulo, and Rio de Janeiro. But it will make it hard, as the air market between important cities in Brazil is well covered by other carriers.
Ita is also hiring new personnel, according to its Facebook site.
We expect to hear soon which routes Ita is going for. Also, in the next few weeks and months, there should be information regarding the fleet's configuration, the number of seats, and the pricing of the routes. To compete against the Brazilian carriers Azul, GOL, and LATAM, Ita will have to be very smart. It has a recognizable brand behind, but the most challenging task remains: to capitalize on Brazilian aviation's current state.
Are you eager to travel with Ita? Let us know in the comments.