Transportes Aéreos Meridionais (TAM Linhas Aéreas) is a major Brazilian carrier, based in São Paulo. It operates domestic flights as well as international flights to neighbouring countries, Chile, the United States, France, Italy and the United Kingdom. The fleet consists of more than 100 aircraft with an average age of 7.6 years. On July 17, 2007, TAM flight 3054 crashed during landing at Congonhas airport, killing around 200 people. See the whole article for further information.
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Transportes Aéreos Meridionais (TAM Linhas Aéreas) was founded on February 21, 1961, as Táxi Aéreo Marília. Regional operations were started with several Cessnas. In 1964, Orlando Ormetto purchased the company, as he wanted to use it for own agricultural projects. Several new aircraft were purchased from that money. Soon, the airline moved from Marília to São Paulo.
In 1971, when TAM was losing money, Rolim Amaro, a former TAM pilot, was made new operational director in order to make the airline profitable again. He sold the whole TAM fleet one year later and replaced it by ten Cessna 402 aircraft. Amaro finally took over complete control of the airline in 1976, when he bought Ometto’s 50 % of the shares.
During the 1970s and early 80s, several Fokker F27s were purchased. By 1981, one million people had been flown by TAM, a number that doubled within the next three years. The airline went public in 1986 and changed its acronym meaning to today’s Transportes Aéreos Meridionais shortly afterwards.
In the late 80s, in order to maintain competitive against Varig and VASP, Fokker 100s were ordered, a total of 14 until 1993. In 1995, TAM was voted World's Best Regional Airline by Air Transport World.
In 1997, 45 Airbus jets (A330s, A320s and A319s) were ordered and the first international service was flown to Miami.
In 1999, the year of owner Amaro’s death, services to Europe were started, first via codeshare with Air France. The company was rebranded TAM Linhas Aéreas in 2000.
Today, the company with more than 10,000 employees is still owned by the Amaro family holding 70 % of the shares. The airline operates domestic flights as well as international flights to neighbouring countries, Chile, the United States, France, Italy and the United Kingdom. The fleet consists of more than 100 aircraft with an average age of 7.6 years.
On July 17, 2007, TAM flight 3054 from Porto Alegre to São Paulo-Congonhas overran the destination airport’s runway, shot over a busy road and crashed into a TAM building and a gas station and immediately exploded killing all 176 people on the aircraft plus at least 20 people on the ground.
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