reference

Home

Shopping

Articles

Local

News

Líder Aviação

History

Líder Taxi Aéreo was established on 12 November 1958 in Belo Horizonte with three Cessna 170A four-seat single-engine aircraft. By 1961 the company had grown to 20 employees and 12 Cessna 180s and 182s and that year added the first twin-engine aircraft to the fleet, a Beechcraft D18S. Operations were concentrated on the Belo Horizonte - Ipatinga route and the company also provided support flights during development of the mining region of Minas Gerais. In 1963 three Aero Commander 500Bs entered service and the company expanded into sales and maintenance with a new hangar at Belo Horizonte's Pampulha Airport. After opening of a branch at the Santos Dumont Airport, in Rio de Janeiro the following year, the company's fleet played a strategic role during construction of the Três Marias and Salto Grande Dams, by connecting the sites to the country's main cities. In 1965 Líder established a base at Congonhas and was also floated as a public company. In 1968 the company imported the first business jet into Brazil, a Learjet 24. The following year saw further expansion, with the opening of a branch in the new capital city Brasília and increased freight traffic between Belo Horizonte and Rio de Janeiro, carrying newspapers out of Rio and beer on the return flights.
In 1971 Líder was appointed by Learjet as its sales agent in Brazil. In 1973 the company commenced offshore helicopter operations on behalf of Petrobras, linking oil-drilling platforms along the Brazilian coast. In 1978 the company entrenched itself in Belo Horizonte when it moved into a new central administration office building in the city. In the 1980s Líder expanded its partnerships with US aerospace organisations, becoming the Brazilian agent for Bell Helicopter Textron, Garrett AiResearch and a number of avionics manufacturers, and entering a partnership with FlightSafety International. By 1988 Líder employed over 600 people. retrieved 2007-11-02.
In 1995 Líder terminated its sales agreement with Learjet in favour of a new relationship with the Raytheon Aircraft Company (RAC), at that time the manufacturer of Beechcraft and Hawker piston engine, and corporate turboprop and jet aircraft. That year the company moved into the-then largest hangar in South America, at Congonhas Airport; it was built with space for 40 business jets and 30 helicopters. The company also took delivery of its first Sikorsky S-76 helicopter. In 1999 Líder placed orders for three Bell/Agusta BA609s. In 2002 the fleet was 18 fixed-wing aircraft and 29 helicopters. That year the company opened bases in Belém and Recife.