In 8 months, Voa Brasil provided 35,4 tickets for retirees
São Paulo remains the most sought-after city.
Brazil Agency - Created in July 2024 to encourage retirees to travel by air, the federal Voa Brasil program has already enabled the reservation of 35.419 airline tickets costing up to R$200 each way (round trip). This is enough revenue to fill 270 planes with capacity for up to 131 passengers in just eight months.
“The objective of the program, to include new users in air transport, to allow groups such as INSS [National Institute of Social Security] retirees to find more affordable tickets, without subsidies, has been fully achieved,” said Minister Sílvio Costa Filho, in a note from the Ministry of Ports and Airports released this Tuesday (2).
According to the ministry, São Paulo continues to be the most sought-after city by retirees, with 10.261 tickets reserved (almost 30% of the total), followed by Rio de Janeiro (3.050), Recife (2.745), Fortaleza (2.453) and Brasília (2.268). Among the top 20 destinations, only three are not capitals: Campinas, in São Paulo; Juazeiro do Norte, in Ceará; and Porto Seguro, in Bahia.
Overall, tickets booked during this period are destined for 82 of the 5.570 municipalities. Another interesting fact: in February and March of this year, Recife was the second most popular destination for program beneficiaries, surpassing the state capital of Rio de Janeiro.
"There's data that shows retirees' interest in the program. During this period, approximately 150 beneficiaries accessed the system, resulting in 35 [reserved] tickets, or 24% of those interested. On airline websites, this percentage is between 1% and 3%. In other words, the number of confirmed reservations on Voa Brasil is much higher," assessed the National Secretary of Civil Aviation, Tomé Barros Franca.
Described by the federal government as a "social inclusion program for Brazilian civil aviation," Voa Brasil does not use public funds. Partner airlines offer, for up to R$ 200 per leg, unused seats on flights scheduled for days, times, or periods of low demand.
When instituting the program, the ministry announced the expectation that approximately three million tickets would be made available to a target audience of around 23,3 million retirees. It also anticipated that the program would be extended to other groups, such as some Brazilian students, in the second phase of Voa Brasil, to be announced soon.
To participate in the program and obtain a ticket, INSS retirees must access the website – however, to do so, they must already have or create a gold or silver level account on the gov.br portal, which guarantees the authentication and validation of the user's personal information.
The program entitles retirees to two airline tickets per year, but interested retirees can only book a ticket if they have not traveled by plane in the previous 12 months. At the time of booking, it is possible to check and choose the date, origin, and destination, subject to availability.
