TAM Gets Green Light to Fly to Italy

Brazilian airline TAM received official authorization from the National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC) to initiate regular daily flights to Italy. TAM obtained this flight based on the increase in the bilateral agreement, authorized this month by the Italian and Brazilian governments.

The start date and schedule of the new international operation will be opportunely announced by TAM. All necessary measures to initiate the flight in the first half of 2007 are already in place.

Milan will be the third destination that TAM flies to in Europe. This flight will depart from Sao Paulo. The company already flies to Paris –currently twice a day and, as of January 12, three times a day- and London.

The strategy adopted by TAM in the international segment is to grow selective in profitable markets. According to ANAC, TAM ended last October with 58.2 percent market share among the Brazilian companies that operate in the international market.

Brazil has a huge Italian community, composed by 25 million descendants, of which 15 million live in the State of Sao Paulo. In South America, TAM has 49 weekly flights to Buenos Aires, Argentina, and will operate the second daily flight to Santiago, Chile as of January 2.