Varig Logística S.A., operating as VarigLog, was a

cargo airline Cargo airlines (or air freight carriers, and derivatives of these names) are airlines mainly dedicated to the transport of air cargo, cargo by air. Some cargo airlines are divisions or subsidiaries of larger passenger airlines. In 2018, airli ...

, based in Jardim Aeroporto,

Campo Belo Campo Belo ( Portuguese for "beautiful field") is a city located in Minas Gerais state, in Brazil. The estimated population in 2020 was 54,186 inhabitants, and the total area of the municipality was . It was founded in 1879. Geography Cli ...

, São Paulo, Brazil. All operations were suspended on 1 February 2012 and on 27 September 2012 it was declared bankrupt.

History

On 25 August 2000, Varig Logística was founded as a separate company from the main airline

Varig VARIG (''Viação Aérea Rio-Grandense'', 'Rio Grandean Airways') was the first airline founded in Brazil, in 1927. From 1965 until 1990, it was Brazil's leading airline and virtually its only international one. In 2005, Varig went into judici ...

. The airline started operations in September 2000. The new venture took over all cargo operations, a staff of 1,345 employees and a fleet of 11 cargo aircraft, 4

Boeing 727-100 The Boeing 727 is an American narrow-body airliner that was developed and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. After the heavier 707 quad-jet was introduced in 1958, Boeing addressed the demand for shorter flight lengths from smaller airp ...

F, 4

Boeing 727-200 The Boeing 727 is an American narrow-body airliner that was developed and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. After the heavier 707 quad-jet was introduced in 1958, Boeing addressed the demand for shorter flight lengths from smaller airp ...

F and 3

McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30F The McDonnell Douglas DC-10 is an American trijet wide-body aircraft manufactured by McDonnell Douglas. The DC-10 was intended to succeed the DC-8 for long-range flights. It first flew on August 29, 1970; it was introduced on August 5, 1971, ...

; At that time, Varig Logística was the largest cargo airline in the country, with distribution centers in

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

Manaus Manaus () is the List of capitals of subdivisions of Brazil, capital and largest city of the States of Brazil, Brazilian state of Amazonas (Brazilian state), Amazonas. It is the List of largest cities in Brazil, seventh-largest city in Brazil, w ...

Porto Alegre Porto Alegre (, ; , ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian Federative units of Brazil, state of Rio Grande do Sul. Its population of roughly 1.4 million inhabitants (2022) makes it the List of largest cities in Brazil, 11th-most p ...

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and

Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

. Varig Log was purchased for US$48.2 million by the consortium Volo do Brasil in December 2005 during the split-up of the assets of Varig. Volo do Brasil comprised the

MatlinPatterson MatlinPatterson is a distressed securities fund that participates in distressed and credit opportunities on a global basis. The firm was established in 2002 as a spinout from Credit Suisse First Boston. It is headquartered in New York City and ...

Funds and the Brazilian investors Marcos Antonio Audi, Marcos Hapfel, and Luiz Eduardo Gallo. The negotiation was concluded in June 2006, after strict regulatory approval, particularly concerned with the participation of foreign capital, limited by Brazilian laws to 20%. In July 2006, Volo bought its one-time parent

(the "new" Varig, founded in 2005) but less than one year later Varig was divested from the Volo group, when on 28 March 2007

Gol Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes GOL Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes S.A ("GOL Intelligent Airlines S.A." also known as VRG Linhas Aéreas S/A) is a Brazilian low-cost airline based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. According to the National Civil Aviation Agency of Brazil (ANAC), betwee ...

, the parent company of budget carrier

Gol Transportes Aéreos Gol or GOL may refer to: Places * * Gol, Gilan, a village in Gilan Province, Iran * Gol, South Khorasan, a village in South Khorasan Province, Iran * Gol, Bukan, a village in West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Gol, Chaldoran, a village in West A ...

, purchased Varig for US$320 million. In March 2008, there were reports of asset transfers between Varig Log and

Arrow Air Arrow Air was a passenger and cargo airline based in Building 712 on the grounds of Miami International Airport (MIA) in Miami-Dade County, Florida. At different times over the years, it operated over 90 weekly scheduled cargo flights, had a s ...

, as Arrow was also being absorbed into the

holding company but they were not implemented. Since March 2008, Varig Log has accumulated debts with both large and small suppliers which led to the request to be placed under bankruptcy protection on 3 March 2009. The Brazilian former investors accuse MatlinPatterson of mismanagement to lead Varig Log to bankruptcy. While VarigLog is protected, the legal battle continues. The company is in "

debtor-in-possession financing Debtor-in-possession financing or DIP financing is a special form of financing provided for companies in financial distress, typically during restructuring under corporate bankruptcy law (such as Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the US or CCAA in Canada). ...

receivership In law, receivership is a situation in which an institution or enterprise is held by a receiver – a person "placed in the custodial responsibility for the property of others, including tangible and intangible assets and rights" – especia ...

" at this time, and is under the direction of the successor organization to Volo, the

Synergy Group Synergy Group Corp. is a South American conglomerate created and owned by Germán Efromovich. The group is headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It operates several airlines in South America, among which are Avianca Group (formerly Avianca ...

. Published reports of October 2009 were that the Brazilian

had acquired a controlling majority shareholding of Varig Logistica. Between June 2007 and June 2009, Varig Log maintained an operational agreement with

FedEx FedEx Corporation, originally known as Federal Express Corporation, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate holding company specializing in Package delivery, transportation, e-commerce, and ...

in Brazil.

Germán Efromovich Germán Efromovich (born 1950) is a Bolivian-born entrepreneur with multiple citizenship: Brazilian, Colombian, and Polish. He was born into a family of Polish Jews.Synergy Group Synergy Group Corp. is a South American conglomerate created and owned by Germán Efromovich. The group is headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It operates several airlines in South America, among which are Avianca Group (formerly Avianca ...

) gave up on buying the airline in 2011. On 3 February 2012, due to economic problems, it was forced to cease operations. On 27 September 2012, VarigLog was declared bankrupt and abolished.

Destinations

As of March 2011, VarigLog operated services to the following scheduled destinations: *

Belém Belém (; Portuguese for Bethlehem; initially called Nossa Senhora de Belém do Grão-Pará, in English Our Lady of Bethlehem of Great Pará), often called Belém of Pará, is the capital and largest city of the state of Pará in the north of B ...

–

Val de Cães International Airport Val may refer to: Military equipment * Aichi D3A, a Japanese World War II dive bomber codenamed "Val" by the Allies * AS Val, a Soviet assault rifle Music *''Val'', album by Val Doonican * VAL (band), Belarusian pop duo People * Val (give ...

Brasília Brasília ( ; ) is the capital city, capital of Brazil and Federal District (Brazil), Federal District. Located in the Brazilian highlands in the country's Central-West Region, Brazil, Central-West region, it was founded by President Juscelino ...

– Pres. Juscelino Kubitschek International Airport *

Campinas Campinas (, ''Plains'' or ''Meadows'') is a Brazilian Municipalities of Brazil, municipality in São Paulo (state), São Paulo State, part of the country's Southeast Region, Brazil, Southeast Region. According to the 2020 estimate, the city's popul ...

–

Viracopos International Airport The Viracopos/Campinas International Airport (sometimes referred to as São Paulo/Campinas or São Paulo/Viracopos) is an international airport serving the municipality of Campinas, in the state of São Paulo. On 6 January 1987, the airport nam ...

Fortaleza Fortaleza ( ; ; ) is the state capital of Ceará, located in Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeastern Brazil. It is Brazil's 4th largest city—Fortaleza surpassed Salvador, Bahia, Salvador in 2022 census with a population of slightly over 2.4 mi ...

–

Pinto Martins International Airport Fortaleza–Pinto Martins International Airport is the international airport serving Fortaleza, Brazil. It is named after ''Euclides Pinto Martins'' (1892–1924), a Ceará-born aviator who in 1922 was one of the pioneers of the air link between ...

–

Eduardo Gomes International Airport Manaus–Eduardo Gomes International Airport is an international airport serving Manaus, Brazil. On 11 December 1973, while still under construction, the name of the facility was changed from ''Supersonic Airport of Manaus'' (owing to its desig ...

Recife Recife ( , ) is the Federative units of Brazil, state capital of Pernambuco, Brazil, on the northeastern Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of South America. It is the largest urban area within both the North Region, Brazil, North and the Northeast R ...

– Guararapes/Gilberto Freyre International Airport *

Salvador da Bahia Salvador, meaning "salvation" (or "saviour") in Catalan, Spanish, and Portuguese may refer to: * Salvador (name) Arts, entertainment, and media Music *Salvador (band), a Christian band that plays both English and Spanish music ** ''Salvador'' ( ...

–

Deputado Luís Eduardo Magalhães International Airport Salvador–Deputado Luís Eduardo Magalhães International Airport , formerly called Dois de Julho International Airport and known by the trade name Salvador Bahia Airport, is the airport serving Salvador, Brazil. Since 16 June 1998, by Federal ...

– Guarulhos/Gov. André Franco Montoro International Airport

Fleet

Former fleet

As of December 2011 the fleet of VarigLog included the following aircraft:

Retired fleet

VarigLog had in the past operated a variety of aircraft, including: * Boeing 727-100C *

Boeing 757-200SF The Boeing 757 is an American narrow-body airliner designed and built by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The then-named 7N7, a twinjet successor for the trijet 727, received its first orders in August 1978. The prototype completed its maiden fl ...

Cessna 208B Grand Caravan The Cessna 208 Caravan is a utility aircraft produced by Cessna. The project was commenced on November 20, 1981, and the prototype first flew on December 9, 1982. The production model was certified by the FAA in October 1984 and its Cargoma ...

McDonnell Douglas MD-11F The McDonnell Douglas MD-11 is an American trijet wide-body airliner manufactured by American manufacturer McDonnell Douglas (MDC) and later by Boeing. Following DC-10 development studies, the MD-11 program was launched on December 30, 1986. A ...

Accidents and incidents

*On 18 March 2002, a

C (registered PP-VLV), was flying from

Salvador Salvador, meaning "salvation" (or "saviour") in Catalan, Spanish, and Portuguese may refer to: * Salvador (name) Arts, entertainment, and media Music *Salvador (band), a Christian band that plays both English and Spanish music ** ''Salvador'' ( ...

Belo Horizonte Belo Horizonte is the List of largest cities in Brazil, sixth-largest city in Brazil, with a population of around 2.3 million, and the third largest metropolitan area, containing a population of 6 million. It is the List of cities in Sout ...

when it rolled off the runway during landing and was critically damaged. The crew of 3 were not injured.

References

External links

Varig Logística
(Archive) {{DEFAULTSORT:Varig Logistica Varig Defunct airlines of Brazil Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association Defunct cargo airlines Airlines established in 2000 Airlines disestablished in 2012