Panair do Brazil Radio Operator Wing

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 1930-1961

Panair do Brasil began operations on October 22, 1929, as NYRBA do Brasil S.A. (New York, Rio, and Buenos Aires Line), forerunner of Pan American. Both airlines were established by Ralph O'Neill for the transportation of post and passengers. NYRBA do Brasil came as an American competitive response to a service that had been provided by Germans since 1927. Starting that year, Condor Syndikat and later its successor Deutsche Luft Hansa explored the Brazilian market by establishing the subsidiary Syndicato Condor, and the Brazilian airline Varig. At that time, if a foreign airline wanted to operate in Brazilian territory, it was required to create a subsidiary. Advised by politicians, O'Neill established NYRBA do Brasil on October 15, 1929 and on January 24, 1930 its operations were authorized in all Brazilian territory, with extensions to other countries. The first flight took off December 23, 1929. On April 30, 1930 NYRBA was sold to Pan American and, as a consequence, on November 21, 1930 the new owner of the subsidiary renamed NYRBA do Brasil as Panair do Brasil. Regular passenger services began on March 2, 1931. On 1937 Panair opened its own dedicated headquarters at Santos Dumont Airport in Rio de Janeiro. It remained its headquarters until it was forced to cease its operations in 1965. As World War II expanded, Panair gained a clear advantage in relation to its fiercest competitor, Syndicato Condor. NYRBA do Brasil/Panair do Brasil remained under full control of NYRBA/Pan American until 1942. Shortly after the end of World War II, Panair seized the opportunity to grow further. On 1946, the majority of its shares - 52% - was in the hands of Brazilian nationals. The last lot of shares in the hands of Pan Am was sold in 1961. Panair do Brasil was forced to cease operations abruptly on February 10, 1965. There were no flight cancellations as Cruzeiro do Sul and Varig picked up the routes and equipment. The operation also involved the transfer of some of it's aircraft to Cruzeiro do Sul and some to Varig. It is known today that Varig and Cruzeiro had had previous knowledge of the government's decision and had time to prepare. The courts declared Panair officially bankrupt on February 15, 1965.

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