 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Founded | February 19, 1979; 46 years ago (1979-02-19) (asAerotáxi Abaeté) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commenced operations |
| ||||||
| AOC # | 10,207 - January 6, 2023[1] | ||||||
| Hubs | Salvador International Airport | ||||||
| Subsidiaries | Abaeté Linhas Aéreas (defunct) | ||||||
| Fleet size | 12 (as of November 2024) | ||||||
| Destinations | 4 (as of November 2024) | ||||||
| Headquarters | Salvador da Bahia, Brazil | ||||||
| Key people | Héctor Hamada (CEO) | ||||||
| Founders |
| ||||||
| Website | www | ||||||
Aerotáxi Abaeté (ATA), known asAbaeté Aviação, is a domesticsubregional airline andair taxi headquartered inSalvador da Bahia,Brazil. Although the company was established in 1979, it was not authorized to operate regular flights until 2020.
The history of Abaeté Aviação dates back to February 19, 1979, when Bahian pilots Milton Tosto and Jorge Mello created Aerotáxi Abaeté (ATA), with the aim of providing air service in locations that were not served by commercial aviation. His first plane was a single-enginePiper PA-28 Cherokee, registration PT-DSM (MSN 28R-7135092), used to transport passengers and cargo between the capital and cities in the interior ofBahia.[2]
In 1985, it acquired Atlanta Táxi Aéreo, expanding its operations.[3]
Ten years later, in 1995, theair taxi took its first big step; with the acquisition ofNordeste Linhas Aéreas byRio Sul Serviços Aéreos Regionais (Rio-Sul), a regional airline owned byVarig, the company added larger aircraft and stopped flying to several cities in Bahia,[4] giving rise toAbaeté Linhas Aéreas, an airline subsidiary of Aerotáxi Abaeté.
Abaeté Linhas Aéreas began its operations flying with two 14-seatEmbraer EMB 110 Bandeirante betweenDois de Julho International Airport (now renamed as Deputado Luís Eduardo Magalhães International Airport or simply Salvador Bahia Airport) and the cities ofBom Jesus da Lapa,Caravelas,Teixeira de Freitas andGuanambi. In 2002, due to low demand, it stopped flying to Caravelas.
In 2006, Abaeté added a third Embraer Bandeirante to the commercial fleet and began flying between Salvador andBarreiras, extending the route to the federal capitalBrasília. However, two years later, due to theGreat Recession, which resulted in increased costs and uncertainty about the future, the airline decided to optimize its operations, withdrawing one of the three planes and maintaining flights only to Bom Jesus da Lapa and Guanambi.
In February 2012, after reporting monthly losses of R$100 thousand (US$57,000), Abaeté Linhas Aéreas announced the suspension of its regular commercial operations. The operations of its parent company, Aerotáxi Abaeté, however, were not affected.[5]
After an eight-year hiatus following the end ofAbaeté Linhas Aéreas, in 2020, Aerotáxi Abaeté (ATA), with changes to the Brazilian Civil Aviation Regulations (RBAC), became able to carry out regular passenger flights with aircraft with up to 19 seats. Authorization was granted by the National Civil Aviation Agency of Brazil (ANAC) on March 6, 2020, through an ordinance published in theDiário Oficial da União (DOU), theofficial journal of thefederal government ofBrazil.[6]
On October 2, 2020, Aerotáxi Abaeté presented its visual and commercial identity, changing its name to Abaeté Aviação. The announcement was made both through the airline's social networks and its managing partner, Tiago Tosto, who signaled that news was coming, generating speculation about the return of regular commercial flights.[7]
On October 24, 2020, Abaeté Aviação confirmed the launch of regular commercial flights, starting the sale of its first destination fromSalvador da Bahia, thetourist city ofMorro de São Paulo, with a daily flight starting on December 18, 2020, that will be operated by its fleet of single-engine turbopropsCessna 208 Caravan.[8]
On November 4, 2020, Abaeté Aviação was announced as the newest associate member of the Brazilian Association of Airlines (ABEAR), along with two more subregional airlines,ASTA Linhas Aéreas and Rio Madeira Aerotáxi (RIMA).[9]
On April 14, 2021, Abaeté Aviação announced its intention to fly to three more destinations in the interior ofBahia,Boipeba,Maraú (from December 17, 2021)[10] andMucugê (from June 17, 2021).[11] It also announced the hiring of Héctor Hamada, former CEO ofMAP Linhas Aéreas, as its newchief executive officer.[12]
In June 2021, the regional airline received the IATA Standard Safety Assessment (ISSA) certification, a voluntary program that is based on theIATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA), developed to verify internal controls and operational management of smaller airlines.[13] At the same time, the Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association (ALTA) announced Abaeté Aviação as its new member.[14]
On August 26, 2022,GOL Linhas Aéreas announced the signing of acodeshare agreement with Abaeté Aviação to commercialize routes connectingSalvador da Bahia to cities in the interior and coast of Bahia, allowing its passengers to easily connect from any region of Brazil withMorro de São Paulo,Mucugê,Boipeba andMaraú.[15] According to the newspaperValor Econômico, the regional airline would also be negotiating a similar agreement withLATAM Airlines.[16]
On December 14, 2023, Abaeté launched the route betweenSalvador da Bahia andBoipeba, which became its fifth regular destination in the interior of Bahia. With a panoramic view of the beautiful Bahian coastline, the flight lasts just 25 minutes and is operated twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays incodeshare with GOL Linhas Aéreas.[17]
On February 19, 2024, Abaeté Aviação celebrated its 45 years of history, highlighting the transformations that have been taking place in recent years, moving from an air taxi company to an important subregional airline that is expanding its horizons and operations inBahia.[18][19]
In addition to commercial and private flights, Abaeté Aviação also offersfixed-base operator (FBO) aeronautical services such as fueling, hangaring, handling, tie-down and parking, aircraft rental, fractional ownership, aircraft maintenance and similar services in its hangar located atSalvador International Airport, providing support services to general aviation operators at a public-use airport. The hangar has two VIP rooms that have a meeting room and other amenities available 24 hours a day.[20]
As of April 2024, Abaeté Aviação operated scheduled services to the following destinations inBrazil:[21]
| Base | |
| Future | |
| Terminated |
| State | City | Airport | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boipeba (Cairu) | Fábio Perini Airport | Started on December 14, 2023[22] | |
| Maraú (Barra Grande) | Barra Grande Airport | Started on December 17, 2021[23] | |
| Morro de São Paulo (Cairu) | Lorenzo Airport | Started on December 18, 2020[24] | |
| Mucugê | Mucugê Airport | Suspended in 2023[25] | |
| Salvador da Bahia | Dep. Luís Eduardo Magalhães International Airport | HUB[24] |
As of April 2024, Abaeté Aviação hascodeshare agreements with the following airlines:
As of November 2024, the fleet of Abaeté Aviação includes the following aircraft:[27][28]
| Aircraft | In service | Orders | Passengers | Note | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | — | 6 | Only for VIP flights | ||
5 | — | 9 | Scheduled and non-scheduled flights | ||
2 | — | 8 | Only for VIP flights | ||
1 | — | 14 | Only for non-scheduled flights | ||
3 | — | 8 | Only for VIP flights | ||
| TOTAL | 12 | — | |||
Abaeté Aviação formerly operated the following aircraft:
| Aircraft | Total | Introduced | Retired | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cessna 208B Super Cargomaster | 1 | 1994 | 2011 | Sold toTwoFlex Aviação |
| Cessna 402B | 2 | 1985 | 2018 | Transferred from Atlanta Táxi Aéreo |
| Cessna Citation II | 1 | 2007 | 2023 | |
| Embraer EMB 121 Xingu | 3 | 2002 | 2024 | Reg. PT-MBU crashed on October 23, 2024 |
Abaeté Linhas Aéreas has noFrequent Flyer Program.
