TAF Linhas Aéreas

TAF Linhas Aéreas was an airline based in Fortaleza, Brazil. It operated regional passenger and cargo services.

History

The airline was established and started operations as an air taxi company (Táxi Aéreo Fortaleza) in 1957 by pilot Ariston Pessoa de Araújo.

In 1992, TAF started operating night cargo flights for the Brazilian Postal Service between the cities of Recife, Fortaleza, João Pessoa, Natal, Juazeiro do Norte and Sobral, with a fleet of two Cessna 208 Caravan and two Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante.

On 1 March 1995, it was officially proclaimed a regular airline, and on 17 March 1996 its name became TAF Linhas Aéreas S.A.

In 1998, the company started operating flights on the route Juazeiro do Norte – Sobral – Iguatu. In 1999, competition from Nordeste and Varig forced it to cancel the routes it had by then established to Picos, Recife and Teresina. On 20 June 2000, TAF received a Boeing 737-248C, a version convertible between passenger and cargo configurations, joining a fleet that then consisted of 5 Cessna 208 and 4 Embraer 110.