For much of the latter part of the 20th century, TransBrasil's rainbow-liveried planes were among the most vibrant commercial aircraft in South America's largest country. It operated for 45 years, during which it frequently ranked among Brazil's largest airlines. Let's take a look back at the diverse history of this forgotten carrier.

Initially known as Sadia

The idea for TransBrasil arose when Omar Fontana, the son of the founder of Brazilian food producer Sadia, considered the idea of flying the company's products to São Paulo by air. By 1954, it was doing so daily, using a Douglas DC-3. In order to receive government support, Fontana established this part of the company's business as an official airline known as Sadia Transportes Aéreos in January 1955.

Just over a year later, in March 1956, the newly-formed airline began operating regularly scheduled flights. This was what allowed Sadia's air division to receive government subventions, as it wasn't previously operating to a regular schedule. The company invested in developing Concórdia Airport, from which it initially flew to Videira, Florianópolis, and São Paulo-Congonhas.

The airline grew consistently in its early years, and established a partnership with Real Transportes Aéreos in 1957. Five years later, Sadia's acquisition of Transportes Aéreos Salvador allowed it to gain more of a foothold in the Bahia region of eastern Brazil. By the end of the 1960s, the carrier was competing with Brazil's biggest airlines on the Rio de Janeiro-São Paulo route.

TransBrasil BAC 1-11
The carrier's first jetliner was the BAC 1-11. Each had a different-colored livery, such as this sunny yellow scheme. Photo: Ruth AS via Wikimedia Commons

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A change of identity

The 1970s represented a time of transition for the airline, which entered the jet age at the start of the decade with the acquisition of the BAC 1-11. 1972 saw the carrier take on the TransBrasil name, at which point it also relocated its headquarters to Brasilia. A period of consolidation then followed for the rest of the decade.

This initiative particularly concerned the streamlining of its fleet, which became increasingly uniform throughout the 1970s. TransBrasil initially replaced its Handley Page Dart Heralds with the Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante, before also phasing out this design (and the BAC 1-11) in favor of the Boeing 727. By 1979, TransBrasil's fleet had reached a stage where it consisted entirely of 727s.

However, this state of uniformity wasn't to last forever, due to TransBrasil's continued expansion, which saw it become the country's third-largest airline behind Varig and VASP. In 1983, the uniformity was disrupted with the arrival of its first widebody, the Boeing 767-200. This unlocked international charter routes, and, in 1989, scheduled services to destinations in the US.

Transbrasil Boeing 767
The arrival of the Boeing 767 allowed TransBrasil to serve the lucrative US market. Photo: Leandro Ciuffo via Flickr

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Growing difficulties in the latter years

Moving into the 1990s, TransBrasil's 767s were accompanied by 707s and leased 737s. Its domestic network served most key Brazilian cities, and its charters expanded beyond the US to stretch as far as Europe and Asia. Its market share eventually grew to a point where it surpassed VASP as Brazil's second-largest airline. Despite this growth, TransBrasil's final years were turbulent.

Fontana briefly allowed the government to manage the airline, but canceled this after disagreements. After stepping down, he handed the reins to his son-in-law Celso Cipriani. By 2001, growing expenses had left the carrier severely in debt, and it ceased operations in December of that year, with Estadão later reporting that Cipriani was accused of committing crimes that led to Transbrasi's demise.

What do you make of TransBrasil's story? Did you ever fly with this colorful carrier? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments!

Sources: ATDB.aero, Estadão