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Rio-Sul Serviços Aéreos Regionais S/A was a regional airline headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil,[1] operating scheduled services to southern Brazil. Its main base was Congonhas Domestic Airport (CGH), São Paulo, with hubs at Porto Alegre Airport (POA) and Santos Dumont Airport, Rio de Janeiro.

Rio Sul Serviços Aéreos Regionais

IATA ICAO Callsign SL RSL Rio Sul
Founded	1976
Ceased operations	2002
Hubs	Congonhas Domestic Airport Salgado Filho Int'l Airport Santos Dumont Airport
Frequent-flyer program	Smiles
Headquarters	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Website	voeriosul.com.br rio-sul.com/home.htm

History

On November 11, 1975 the Brazilian Federal Government created the Brazilian Integrated System of Regional Air Transportation and divided the country in five different regions, for which five newly created regional airlines received a concession to operate air services. RIO-SUL Serviços Aéreos Regionais S/A was the fourth of those regional airlines to be made operational.[2] Founded on August 24, 1976,[1] Rio Sul had its services start on September 8, 1976. Its operational area comprised roughly the Southern and parts of the Southeast regions of Brazil, specifically the states of Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, Paraná, Rio de Janeiro, and parts of São Paulo, and Espírito Santo.[2]

The airline was originally formed by Top Táxi Aéreo, Bradesco Bank, Atlântica-Boavista Insurance, and Varig.

In 2002 the administration of Rio Sul (which included its former subsidiary Nordeste) were merged with Varig. The brand Rio Sul was part of the assets sold as VRG Linhas Aéreas although its debts remained under the judicial entity Viação Aérea Rio-Grandense, which uses the brand name Flex Linhas Aéreas. As a result of accumulated debts around BRL10 billion (US$5,7 billion, EUR4,5 billion), on August 20, 2010, at the request of the administrator, the 1st Business Court of Rio de Janeiro declared Flex, which included remaining assets of Rio-Sul, bankrupt and initiated the process of liquidation.[3][4]

Services

Rio Sul Serviços Aéreos Regionais operated services to the following scheduled domestic destinations (at January 2005): Caxias do Sul, Belo Horizonte, Brasília, Londrina, Maringá, Passo Fundo, São Paulo and Vitória.

Historical Fleet

The Rio Sul Serviços Aéreos Regionais fleet consisted of the following aircraft:

Rio Sul [5]

Aircraft	Quantity	Period
Boeing 737-300	4	2000 - 2005
Boeing 737-500	16	1992 - 2005
Boeing 737-700	5	2001 - 2005
Embraer EMB-110	7	1984 - 1992
Embraer EMB-120	12	1988 - 2001
Embraer ERJ-145	16	1997 - 2002
Fokker F27-200	5	1984 - 1988
Fokker F27-500	8	1986 - 1992
Fokker F50	10	1992 - 1999

Incidents and accidents

According to the Aviation Safety Network's database, Rio Sul Serviços Aéreos Regionais has never experienced a fatal accident in its 26-year-history, though four hull-losses have occurred:[6]

• On May 22, 1982, an Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante (registration PT-GKC) crashed into a mangrove swamp short of Hercílio Luz International Airport, due to poor visibility. All four people on board survived. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair and written off.[7]
• On August 6, 1984, a Fokker F27 Friendship (registration PT-LCZ) over shot the runway at Santos Dumont Airport. All seven occupants survived, but the aircraft was damaged beyond repair and written off.[8]
• On July 25, 1987, an Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante (registration PT-GKT) overshot the runway at Santo Angelo Airport. All 13 passengers and crew survived, but the aircraft was damaged beyond repair and written off.[9]
• On December 29, 1998, Rio Sul Flight 310, an Embraer ERJ-145 (registration PT-SPE), was damaged beyond repair when it made a hard landing at Afonso Pena International Airport. All 40 passengers and crew on board survived. Investigators determined that engine power had been reduced just before landing. The aircraft was written off.[10]
• On December 17, 2001, a Boeing 737-500 (registration PT-SSI) operating a scheduled passenger flight from Rio de Janeiro to Belo Horizonte undershot runway 16 at Tancredo Neves International Airport by 70 metres (230 ft) as a result of adverse weather conditions. There were no fatalities. Despite substantial damage, the aircraft was repaired and returned to service. However, nearly 12 years later, exactly the same aircraft would crash in Russia, killing everyone on board.[11][12]

See also

• List of defunct airlines of Brazil

References

Bibliography

• Beting, Gianfranco; Beting, Joelmir (2009). Varig: Eterna Pioneira [Varig: Eternal Pioneer] (in Portuguese). Porto Alegre and São Paulo: EDIPUCRS and Beting Books. ISBN 978-85-7430-901-9.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rio Sul Serviços Aéreos Regionais.

• Rio Sul Serviços Aéreos Regionais (Archive) (1998-2000)
• Rio Sul Serviços Aéreos Regionais (Archive) (1997)
• Rio Sul Serviços Aéreos Regionais (in Portuguese) (Archive) (1998-2000)
• Rio Sul Serviços Aéreos Regionais (in Portuguese) (Archive) (1997)
• Rio Sul Serviços Aéreos Regionais Fleet Detail

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