The crisis in the airline sector

Dozens of Brazilian airlines have gone bankrupt, and the government shows no inclination whatsoever to combat this veritable suicide that invariably occurs in the sector.

In fact, we have around 60 airports, while the United States has over 1.000 and Europe has more than 3.000, with clear differences, as they fly during the winter, with low temperatures and constant snow.

In Brazil, by contrast, heavy fog is cause for airport closures and flight delays, once again creating air traffic chaos.

It has been proven that no Brazilian airline survives without turbulence after its first decade of operation; the factors are varied, ranging from the irrationality of the network, the size of Brazil, the lack of infrastructure, and the weight of bureaucracy.

A nation that aspires to be among the developed world needs, without fail, a thriving aviation sector.

We don't even have a single Brazilian airline that exclusively operates international flights, and today the number of Brazilians traveling abroad is enormous.

Constant operational deficits are a significant problem, and even if lower costs are projected, none of this is incorporated into the sector, and the congestion of the air network is also compounded by the total absence of infrastructure for multimodal transport connections.

While abroad, upon disembarking, one can immediately catch a train or other fast means of transport, here we need buses or a limited number of taxis.

The uncertainty grows even more with the World Cup and the Olympic Games approaching.

Instead of football stadiums, we should prioritize First World airports, with good facilities, cargo and baggage handling capabilities, and offer local and international consumers safe transportation with appropriate ground handling equipment and services.

However, what we see are high airport fees, disproportionate costs, and frequent delays or cancellations.

Operating in South America is difficult, so much so that one airline has already decided it will no longer fly to Chile.

Recently, TAP announced it would no longer operate from Viracopos Airport, while Pluna reportedly made the same decision due to the lack of duty-free options, which bothers tourists because of the limited selection of foreign goods.

And despite the much-publicized privatization carried out by the government, at a snail's pace, the problems are countless, which is why the vast majority of national airlines lack the resources or economic and financial capacity to overcome the impasses generated by the lack of vision and scope in a key sector of the economy.

The construction of more airports is fundamental, with a number of runways corresponding to passenger and cargo transport. A country that intends to make leaps in quality cannot impose restrictions and continue to move exclusively by road, by trucks and buses, consuming petroleum and its derivatives, with serious consequences for the environment.

In the age of technology, and with Embraer's strength in this context, Brazil is losing ground and failing to respond to the international challenge of having an independent airline that can benefit from infrastructure advantages and, certainly, secure slots at major international airports. We remain dependent on the goodwill of partnerships and alliances.

No one doubts that the airline sector is struggling; several American companies have filed for bankruptcy, the Japanese company is also going through a recovery phase, the Italian company was absorbed by a consortium in which the state participates, as was neighboring Argentina.

This crisis affecting major airlines should, on the contrary, be an incentive for the Brazilian government and its business leaders to consider consolidating a national brand to break into international airspace and, in this way, have a company exclusively dedicated to other continents, because, in this way, we will gain experience and make a difference.

Carlos Henrique Abrão is a judge on the Court of Justice of São Paulo.