Brazilian Aviation Industry Snapped Back Last Year after 2003 Crisis

The number of passengers flown by Brazil´s airlines inside the country shot up 11.7 percent in 2004, a clear-cut token of recovery from one of the worst crises the local commercial aviation industry has ever endured, the Civil Aviation Department informed this week.

The rebound of domestic flights happened together with a 12.2 percent spike in the amount of international air travels. Occupancy rates in inbound flights averaged 66 percent of all available seats, up six percentage points from 2003.

As far as international routes are concerned, that index reached 76 percent compared to exactly three quarters the year before.

The figures also revealed air companies adjusted their offers to the ever-growing demand by putting 2.5 percent and 7.1 percent more plane seats in domestic and international flights, respectively.

After scoring the best results of the past three years, the Civil Aviation Department hopes to jack up the volume of passenger by an unprecedented 8 percent in 2005.