While airlines such as Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines became synonymous with service and reliability around the world, one airline in South America was enjoying similar status within the Americas. Varig began life in the southernmost state of Brazil, Rio Grande do Sul, following the vision of a German immigrant. The company, founded in 1927 in the city of Porto Alegre with a small seaplane, soon began to expand its route network beyond Rio Grande do Sul and into the more remote areas of Brazil. In 1945, the Ruben Berta Foundation was set up, which allowed the company's shareholding to be distributed amongst all its employees, a situation almost unique in aviation. For almost 80 years, until it was wound up in 2006, Varig continually expanded its network, both in Brazil and around the world, introduced the Air Bridge between Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo and set up a round-the-world cargo network. During its existence, Varig operated more than 30 different types of aircraft. Illustrated with over 140 photographs, this book details Varig's origins, its growth and the reasons it eventually went out of business.
