Brazil Thinks Big for Bizav MRO Expansions

At the third Latin American Aviation Supply & Services (LAASS), held Sunday in São Paulo, Brazil, heavy hitters in the local aviation community heard that new business aviation hangar and maintenance facilities are coming.

TAM Aviação Executivo–which built its business aircraft maintenance facility, one of the first large installations in Brazil, at Jundaí Airport near São Paulo in 2004–is planning another. Since the last available hangar lot at Jundaí was taken earlier this year, TAM is building a new business aircraft maintenance facility at Aracati, near Fortaleza in northeast Brazil, by year-end, again in line with its rule to “be first.”

Meanwhile, World-Way Aviation defended its choice of Sorocaba, pointing out that its neighbors are aircraft maintenance centers for Gulfstream, Dassault, Pratt & Whitney and Embraer, as well as an aircraft base for department store Casas Bahia. World-Way’s new 96,800-sq-ft hangar, which is right next door to Embraer on the field, now has a roof overhead and completion is expected early next year.

Francisco Lyra of C>Fly Aviation told attendees at the Brazil-Canada MRO technology seminar, held this year as part of LAASS, that Catarina Airport, which held a cornerstone ceremony last week, has a long-term expansion plan that calls for “a gigantic area for an MRO.”