O fly Brazil program has sold around 10,4 tickets to 68 Brazilian destinations since it was launched at the end of July. The program allows the purchase of tickets for R$200 each way, plus the boarding fee.
Voa Brasil is aimed at retirees of the National Institute of Social Security (INSS), regardless of income bracket and who have not traveled in the last 12 months.
In this initial phase, the number of tickets sold corresponds to approximately 0,34% of the 3 million tickets made available to 23 million retirees. According to the Ministry of Ports and Airports (MPor), responsible for the program, the program is in its initial phase and is expanding rapidly.
The program does not rely on federal government subsidies for the purchase of airline tickets, operating based on the freedom of supply of partner airlines.
main destinations
In these 58 days of Voa Brasil, the most sought-after destinations were São Paulo, Ceará, Rio de Janeiro, Bahia and Pernambuco. Around 45% of the program's flights were to the Southeast and 40% to the Northeast.
The city most sought after by INSS retirees was São Paulo, with 2.918 tickets purchased by retirees from 47 cities. The city of Rio de Janeiro was the second most sought after destination, with 963 tickets sold, receiving engers from 25 cities.
In the Northeast, Fortaleza (CE) was the city most sought after by the program's beneficiaries (922 tickets). According to the Ministry of Ports and Airports, one in every four tickets sold to the region in the first month of Voa Brasil's operation was for airports in Ceará, with the most sought after being in the capital, Fortaleza; Juazeiro do Norte, in the south of the state; and Jericoacoara, a district of the municipality of Jijoca, on the west coast of Ceará.
In the Northeast, Recife also appears in fourth place and was the destination option for 775 Voa Brasil tickets.
The Ministry of Ports and Airports (MPor), responsible for the civil aviation social inclusion program, believes that the fact that there is demand for almost 70 domestic destinations shows that retirees have also sought out cities that are not large urban centers. “Voa Brasil allows retirees to find low rates to visit their relatives or tourist cities, outside the peak season.”
How to buy
O Fly Brazil has flights to all states, some operated by more than one airline. To access the system, you must have a gold or silver profile on the federal government's single digital services portal, gov.br.
After accessing the system, it checks whether there is an offer available from participating airlines. If a flight to the desired city is not found, interested parties can search for a nearby city or alternative dates for their next trip.
MPor's tip is to search for round-trip flights from different companies to increase the chances of finding tickets on the dates you want. Another recommendation is to plan your trips in advance and choose days when there is less demand, such as Tuesday through Thursday, and low season periods, between March and June or August and November.
The benefit is personal and non-transferable, meaning that only the holder may travel. The limit of R$200 per leg does not include boarding fees charged at the time of payment. Boarding fees vary depending on the airport.
Tickets purchased through Voa Brasil entitle you to one piece of hand luggage (up to 10 kilos) and one small bag or backpack.
Fly Brazil
The Voa Brasil program strategy is based on taking advantage of available seats on low-occupancy flights and allows airlines to adjust their offers according to demand. Airlines define the routes and the number of seats to be made available within the program.
Payment options are defined by the airline issuing the airline tickets, as are refund requests. In the event of ticket cancellation, after payment of R$200 per leg has been made, the amount will not be refunded.
The Ministry of Ports and Airports clarifies that the federal government does not manage routes, dates, times and seats to be offered by airlines under the program. The federal government also does not ask for payment to be made via PIX at the time of purchase.
The Ministry of Ports and Airports expects to launch the second stage of Voa Brasil in the first half of 2025, to include students from public education institutions in the list.
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Street: Agency Brazil
