On November 4, 1933, VASP – Viação Aérea São Paulo was born. 72 businessmen (including a nephew of Santos Dumont) created a company with 2 English twin-engine Monospar. They were 144 holding hands to propel an airline. On November 12, the aircraft made the first flights on the São Paulo – Rio Preto and São Paulo – Ribeirão Preto – Uberaba routes.
Demand soon became attractive and the company went to De Havilland Dragon Rapide. The company operated in Campo de Marte, but a curious fact happened: floods, made the company simply run out of flight and so an army cannon test ground was acquired for the construction of the VASP Field.
At this time, the São Paulo State Government acquired 91.6% of VASP. Well, after that VASP immediately moved to that VASP Field, which was accessed through a farm, and the owner named the road the Washington Luis Highway and started tolling anyone who wanted to see the planes in the Field. VASP Today he is nothing less than Congonhas Airport.
To sustain its growth, VASP opted for the German-made JUNKERS JU52 / 3m trimotors during 1936 until the end of World War II. These airplanes had the pioneering spirit of creating the most disputed route in the country, which is Congonhas / SP – Santos Dumont / RJ.
Like most companies, after World War II VASP adopted the DC3 as a standard aircraft, incorporating in the 1950s the SAAB SCANDIA, which ended up being the operator of all aircraft built.
Also flew VICKERS VISCOUNT and NAMC YS11, which he named Samurai. Other companies were advancing in equipment and in the late 60’s VASP had no jets in its fleet. He temporarily brought in a pair of BAC ONE ELEVEN and would acquire 4 Boeing 727-200s, but performance reviews made the company change its mind and change its fate.
In July 1969 received 4 Boeing 737-200 registered PP-SMA, PP-SMB, PP-SMC, PP-SMD. It was the largest 737 operator in Latin America in the late 1970s, and in 1977 received the Boeing 727 Super 200. In 1982 it received its first widebody which was the Airbus A300. In 1983 VASP celebrated its 50th anniversary, operating a reputable national network and charter flights to Aruba, Orlando and Bariloche. Until then she was the pioneer in the use of 737-200 and 727-200 in the country. In 1986 it pioneered once again as the first user of the Boeing 737-300 from Brazil, but VASP was a burden to the Paulista Government and thus began a privatization program, where the VOE / CANHEDO group, formed by employees and businessman of urban transport in Brasilia Wagner Canhedo.
VASP then grew aggressively and amazingly, brought in 3 DC10-30 and started flights to America, Europe, Asia, acquired companies around Brazil such as Lloyd Aero Boliviano, Ecuatoriana and TAN, operated 9 MD-11, expanded the fleet. 737-300 and 737-400 and did not sustain growth. In 1992 half of its fleet was taken over by the lessors.
However, in September 2004, its maintenance-stopped A300 fleet had a blow: 8 planes (SMA, SMB, SMC, SMP, SMQ, SMR, SMS, SMT) had their flight licenses hunted. by the DAC for failure to comply with mandatory modifications (AD – Airworthiness Directives) established by the manufacturer. The aircraft were pulled up and stocked for the battered fleet that remained flying. VASP dragged on until January 27, 2005, when the Boeing 737-300 PP-SFN landing in Guarulhos completing flight 4265 Fortaleza – Recife – Maceió – Salvador – Guarulhos ended the history of VASP flights. The company still tried to reinvent itself as MRO, as a charter, it didn’t work out and a whole magnificent structure that the company had was scrapped, until on July 17, 2008 the company was declared bankrupt. In August 2011 the government began shredding abandoned planes around the country.