NAB – Navegação Aérea Brasileira was a Brazilian airline founded in 1938. In 1961 it was sold to

Lóide Aéreo Nacional Lóide Aéreo Nacional S/A was a Brazilian airline founded in 1947 as Transporte Carga Aérea (TCA). It was renamed Lóide Aéreo Nacional in 1949, after it merged with Linhas Aéreas Paulistas (LAP) and Transportes Aéreos Bandeirantes (TABA). ...

History

NAB was founded on January 28, 1938. The founder Paulo Venâncio da Rocha Vianna initially invested heavily in technical training for both land and air staff conducted particularly by

TWA Trans World Airlines (TWA) was a major American airline which operated from 1930 until 2001. It was formed as Transcontinental & Western Air to operate a route from New York City to Los Angeles via St. Louis, Kansas City, and other stops, with ...

. Thus in the beginning NAB followed what was most modern in terms of aviation technology and administration at its time. Its first aircraft arrived in 1941 and operated between

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a ...

and

Recife That it may shine on all ( Matthew 5:15) , image_map = Brazil Pernambuco Recife location map.svg , mapsize = 250px , map_caption = Location in the state of Pernambuco , pushpin_map = Brazil#South A ...

via Belo Horizonte,

Bom Jesus da Lapa Bom Jesus da Lapa is a municipality in Bahia, Brazil located from the state capital. The population as of 2020 was recorded at 69,662 according to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics. The city covers a total area of along the ban ...

and

Petrolina Petrolina is a municipality located in the southernmost point of the state of Pernambuco, in Northeast Brazil, in the valley of the São Francisco River. The population was 354,317 in 2020, and the total area is km², making it the largest m ...

. In order to operate the route NAB invested in upgrading the airport facilities of

and

. Later NAB tried also to fly between Rio de Janeiro and Recife via the coast but it had no success due to the fierce competition with Serviços Aéreos Condor (later Cruzeiro do Sul) and

Panair do Brasil Panair do Brasil was an airline of Brazil. Between 1945 and 1965 it was considered to be the largest carrier not only in Brazil but in all of Latin America. It ceased operations in 1965. History NYRBA do Brasil (1929–1930) ''Panair do Bras ...

. Because of financial difficulties, the Brazilian government granted three successive subventions, which were used to enlarge the fleet and extend the network. The end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

brought a boom in the creation of new airlines in Brazil and due to fierce competition, in order to survive, NAB was granted further two loans. In March 1948 all services were suspended and NAB was closed on August 17, 1948. This was however not the end: the Federal Government decided to take over NAB and continue services in the states of

Minas Gerais Minas Gerais () is a state in Southeastern Brazil. It ranks as the second most populous, the third by gross domestic product (GDP), and the fourth largest by area in the country. The state's capital and largest city, Belo Horizonte (literally ...

and

Espírito Santo Espírito Santo (, , ; ) is a state in southeastern Brazil. Its capital is Vitória, and its largest city is Serra. With an extensive coastline, the state hosts some of the country's main ports, and its beaches are significant tourist attra ...

. Thus the airline continued its struggle for survival. In 1957 the entrepreneur Dilvo Peres decided to invest in the airline, re-organizing its administration, buying new aircraft, and establishing an operational partnership with Panair do Brasil. The efforts were not successful and in a last attempt to survive, NAB started selling greatly discounted tickets and in-flight service was reduced to a minimum. On October 24, 1961

bought NAB.

Destinations

NAB served, among others, the following cities: *

Belém Belém (; Portuguese for Bethlehem; initially called Nossa Senhora de Belém do Grão-Pará, in English Our Lady of Bethlehem of Great Pará) often called Belém of Pará, is a Brazilian city, capital and largest city of the state of Pará in t ...

–

Val de Cães International Airport Val may refer to: Val-a Film * ''Val'' (film), an American documentary about Val Kilmer, directed by Leo Scott and Ting Poo Military equipment * Aichi D3A, a Japanese World War II dive bomber codenamed "Val" by the Allies * AS Val, a Sov ...

* Belo Horizonte – Pampulha Airport *

– Bom Jesus da Lapa Airport *

Cachoeiro de Itapemirim Cachoeiro de Itapemirim (local ) is a municipality and a major town, located in the south of Espírito Santo, Brazil, on the banks of the Itapemirim River. It is the economic hub of southern Espírito Santo, being the most important producer of m ...

– Cachoeiro de Itapemirim Airport * Fortaleza –

Pinto Martins International Airport Fortaleza-Pinto Martins International Airport is the international airport serving Fortaleza, Brazil. It is named after ''Euclides Pinto Martins'' (1892–1924) a Ceará-born aviator, who in 1922 was one of the pioneers of the air-link between ...

Governador Valadares Governador Valadares is a Brazilian municipality in the countryside of Minas Gerais. In 2020, its population was 281,046 inhabitants, thus being the ninth most populated city in the state. It is an economical axis of the middle valley of the Doce R ...

–

Governador Valadares Airport Coronel Altino Machado de Oliveira Airport is the airport serving the city of Governador Valadares, Brazil. Airlines and destinations Access The airport is located from downtown Governador Valadares. See also *List of airports in Brazil ...

* João Pessoa – Presidente Castro Pinto International Airport *

Montes Claros Montes Claros is a city located in northern Minas Gerais state, in Brazil. The population is 413,487 (2020 est.) in an area of . It was made a seat of a municipality in 1831 and attained city status in 1857. History The region was originally in ...

– Montes Claros Airport *

–

Petrolina Airport Petrolina–Senador Nilo Coelho Airport is the airport serving Petrolina, Pernambuco and Juazeiro, Bahia, Brazil. It is named after the Petrolina-born Senator Nilo de Sousa Coelho (1920–1983). It is operated by CCR. History Petrolina Airpo ...

–

Guararapes International Airport Guararapes is a municipality near Araçatuba in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. The population is 33,100 (2020 est.) in an area of 956 km². The elevation is 415 m. This place name comes from the Tupi language Old Tupi, Ancient Tupi or C ...

–

Santos Dumont Airport Santos Dumont Airport is the second major airport serving Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is named after the Brazilian aviation pioneer Alberto Santos Dumont (1873–1932). It is operated by Infraero. Santos Dumont has slot restrictions operati ...

* São Luís – Tirirical Airport *

Teresina Teresina is the capital and most populous municipality in the Brazilian state of Piauí. Being located in north-central Piauí 366 km from the coast, it is the only capital in the Brazilian Northeast that is not located on the shores of t ...

– Teresina Airport * Vitória – Goiabeiras Airport

Fleet

Accidents and incidents

*15 February 1945: a Lockheed 18-10 Lodestar registration PP-NAE crashed near the location of Lagoa Santa. All 11 occupants died.

References

External links

NAB accidents as per Aviation Safety Database
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nab - Navegacao Aerea Brasileira Defunct airlines of Brazil Airlines established in 1938 Airlines disestablished in 1961