TAM Aviacao Executiva, a top seller of executive aircraft in the Brazilian market and official representative of the manufacturers Beechcraft, Cessna and Bell, in addition to a leading representative of FlightSafety, was, for the sixth time consecutively, the largest exhibitor at LABACE. It displayed nine models, including single engines, turboprops, jets and helicopters.

In addition to the aircraft, the company brought to the show all the other solutions in executive aviation it offers, such as charter, domestic and international FBO service, aircraft management and administration, hangarage, maintenance services and sales of parts, in addition to training, showing the strength and robustness of its portfolio, the largest and most versatile in the country.

The company is celebrating the business aviation sector's current favourable conditions, with a heated market globally and Brazil in a prominent role. The demand for executive aircraft continues to increase, and TAM Executive Aviation ended 2022 as the world's largest sales representative for Bell helicopters, in addition to being the representative with the most sales of Cessna Citation jets and Beechcraft King Air aircraft In the whole world.

“The sector has been experiencing a very good phase, and TAM has obviously been feeling the positive effects, especially in the area of sales of new and used aircraft. To give you an idea, we have aircraft with delivery scheduled for 18 or even 24 months from now,” points out Leonardo Fiuza, president of TAM Executive Aviation. According to him, the positive indexes also reach the other business units of the company. “We have registered increases in all the areas in which we operate. Air services, for example, have been growing significantly. Our service centres have increased the number of maintenance and parts sales calls, just as the demand for training in simulators has grown year after year,” adds Fiuza.

The good conditions in the market, combined with its long-term and consistent strategic plan, have led the company to make important investments.

TAM AE's air services unit, responsible for chartering, domestic and international FBO service (FBO), hangarage, and aircraft management and administration services, has also reaped the benefits of the sector's favourable conditions and registered an increase in its numbers.

“The chain of services linked to executive aviation was in great demand during the pandemic when private flights gained even more importance. Although they already had a captive audience at that time, we saw new entrants arriving and adopting the services as part of their business strategies. With that, the numbers in the area registered a high growth and remain high, even now post-pandemic,” says Heron Nobre, director of air services and FBO.

The new demand made the company accelerate its development plan and take a project that had been drawing up for some time; the implementation of a new VIP room, the most modern for executive aviation in Congonhas Airport in Sao Paulo. The space, recently opened, presents an innovative concept, with integrated environments, but which, at the same time, offers the privacy that the customer is looking for.

There are more than 350 sqm spread over 10 environments, including waiting lounges, a café, three meeting rooms, in addition to a kids space, all in all a modern, elegant and sophisticated architectural project. With this, the company has raised the level of comfort offered to customers who pass through its base in São Paulo.

The company has also invested in team training, in the modernisation of its hangars and in the purchase of new equipment, with the objective of improving its structure and operation and preparing itself for the next stages of IS-BAH and IS-BAO, two of the most important certifications for airport and flight operations and service in the world. Last year, the company became the first South American company to obtain both certifications. and is now preparing to receive the higher level, which attests to even stricter standards of quality and safety.

TAM's maintenance services business unit has gained more and more significance to the company. As a result, TAM AE's service centres have been receiving significant investments, having expanded their service capacity and made their portfolio of services even more diversified.

Earlier this year, the company implemented CS TAM, an exclusive communication channel that centralises all customer demands related to aircraft maintenance. The goal was to make the relationship with the market more agile and further improve the customer experience, which started to solve everything in a single contact.

Last year TAM AE also opened an additional base in Goiânia (GO) to complement its already established bases in Belo Horizonte (MG) and Jundiaí (SP). “Being in Goiânia has proven to be a wise decision, as it connects us with an audience that lacked specialised and quality service, in an extremely relevant region and with thriving business aviation. The results have been great, and the trend is for these services to continue to grow,” highlights Wellington Amorim, director of service centres at TAM Executive Aviation.

Another highlight is the aircraft customisation work carried out at its Jundiaí base, the largest for executive aircraft in Latin America, with an area of over 20,000 sqm. The site houses one of the most renowned aircraft design and painting units in the world, including a large painting cabin, which allows it to serve the most diverse executive jets from all manufacturers in the market and receives requests from several countries.

The importance of the business, as well as the growing demand for this type of service, attests to new investments planned by TAM AE in its paint booth. The company recently signed a contract to carry out a personalised painting service for 10 Cessna Caravan aircraft belonging to Azul Conecta, a Brazilian airline that operates regional and domestic flights and belongs to Azul Linhas Aéreas. “We have received requests from large operators of different models for painting treatments, due to the high quality we offer,” concludes Wellington Amorim.

Meanwhile, TAM Aviacao Executiva has inaugurated a VIP lounge at its FBO in hangar I at Congonhas airport. The environment is the largest and most modern for executive aviation at the main airport of São Paulo in Brazil. The space, elegant and sophisticated, provides customers who pass through the place with even more comfort and a better experience.

“One of the values ​​of TAM Aviação Executivo, since its foundation, is to take care of the customer by providing a truly differentiated service. Therefore, our strategic plan always seeks to invest in important initiatives, such as the modernisation of the VIP room. In this way, we can offer the best experiences to our customers, in a space with greater privacy and exclusivity while they wait for their flight,” says Fiuza.

The modern, elegant and sophisticated architectural concept, developed and implemented by Zenite Arquitetura e Construção, aims to favour the integration of open living and resting areas with private work spaces that are connected in a fluid way, providing TAM's customers with spaces suitable and comfortable for their different needs. With a total area of ​​310 sqm , the spaces were distributed in 10 different environments, including different waiting lounges, a café, private and fully equipped meeting rooms, in addition to an exclusive kids space.

The project had the application of joinery as an aesthetic and functional element, used as an architectural reference for the separation of the main spaces, using elegant muxarabis panels, transmitting privacy and transparency at the same time, supported by the different scenographic effects of lighting and decoration, which give a touch of elegance and sophistication to the environments.

The tableware in the new VIP room was developed in the company's brand colours by Ateliê Cerâmica & Cia, which specialises in handmade and authorial production, always valuing art and originality. The charming cloud-shaped cups and saucers add a special touch to the new coffee service, in partnership with Illy. And customers are also treated to complimentary traditional cheese bread, chips and cornbread, which always come warm with each shipment.

Another highlight is the memory space dedicated to Comandante Rolim Adolfo Amaro, founder of TAM AE, whose legacy in aviation and customer service remains present in the company. On site, items from his personal collection will be on display, including a pair of aviator model glasses, a 22-string harp and professional badges, as well as awards won throughout his career and books that help tell a little of his brilliant trajectory.

The new room is located in Hangar I on the ground floor, has accessibility and is open every day from 06:00 to 23:00. It is accessible only to customers who hangar with TAM or who have contracted its airport or charter service.