Story ID: 
Beech Appoints New Dealer for Brazil
By: Richard Pedicini
Caption: The move adds to the other Textron aviation brands that TAM AE has long represented in Brazil: Cessna since 1982 and Bell Helicopter since 2004.
Word Count: 229
TAM Aviação Executiva was named the Beechcraft distributor in Brazil late last week, taking over this role from Lider. The move adds to the other Textron aviation brands that TAM AE has long represented in Brazil: Cessna since 1982 and Bell Helicopter since 2004.

“We expect that with Beechcraft, our sales will increase 25 percent by December, especially in the agricultural sector,” said newly installed TAM AE president Leonardo Fiuza. In fact, the company will show Beech aircraft at the Agrishow agricultural fair in late April.

The company will also display Beechcraft airplanes at LABACE 2016 in São Paulo in August. Last year at LABACE, TAM AE became an authorized service center for the King Air; it received Brazilian ANAC approval to perform maintenance on the turboprop twins a decade ago.

Last week, ANAC certified TAM AE’s new maintenance center at Aracati, in the northeastern state of Ceará, which will begin operations on March 1. Added to its other Brazilian facilities in Belo Horizonte, Brasilia and Jundaí near São Paulo, Araciti takes TAM AE’s total maintenance shop capacity beyond 500,000 sq ft.

Fiuza’s former responsibility for airplane and training sales will be taken over by Rafael Mugnaini, who is already responsible for helicopter sales. TAM AE has yet to announce who will assume responsibility for the company’s FBOs.