Brazilian air market expected to grow 2% to 3% in 2019, infrastructure minister projects

Infrastructure Minister Tarcísio Freitas said on Monday (28) that despite the problems faced in 2019, such as Avianca's departure and a reduction in flight supply, the Brazilian air market is expected to grow from 2% to 3% in the year. "We had an extremely difficult year with avianca's departure, with the problem of the Boeing 737 MAX, market concentration and supply problems and yet the market will grow 2% to 3% in 2019," Freitas said during the opening of the Association's Leaders' Forum Latin American Air Transport (ALTA). During the meeting the minister stressed that the political articulation of the government achieved important advances for the sector in the National Congress as the permission for foreign capital companies to operate in Brazil and also the maintenance of the veto to the franchise of which allows airlines to cover by baggage dispatch. "With a bad relationship we approved foreign capital, we kept the veto of the baggage allowance and approved the pension reform, imagine if we were good of political articulation," the minister said in response to criticism of the government's relationship with the Congress. According to Freitas, the change in the baggage and foreign capital franchise attracted the attention of several companies to Brazil. "Who doesn't want a market with 200 million consumers?" According to the minister, the goal is to exceed 200 million passengers per year and increase to 200 the number of locations served by air transport. According to data from the National Civil Aviation Agency (Anac), in 2018 the Brazilian market transported 117.6 million passengers. Appointment to Anac Freitas also confirmed that the government will soon send the appointment of the current Superintendent of Air Services Monitoring of the National Civil Aviation Agency (Anac), Ricardo Catanant, and the Secretary of Transport of the Partnership Program of Investments (PPI), Thiago Costa Caldeira, for vacancies opened on the board of Anac. The two names had already been nominated for anac's board, but the next day the nominations were withdrawn. Currently, the vacancies left by former directors Ricardo Fenelon, who left the agency in June, and Hélio Paes de Barros Júnior, who left the board in January after being appointed to the presidency of Infraero, are open. Two others will be opened on the agency's board in March 2020, when the warrants of the current President of Anac, José Ricardo Botelho, and director Ricardo Bezerra end. After they are published, the nominations need to be approved by the Infrastructure Committee and the Senate floor. Anac's board consists of five directors. He's currently three.