Brazil Air Travel Demand Takes Off

It seems word got out that Brazil has the best chicks. It’s no secret that with the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Olympics that are to take place in its lands, Brazil is feeling a bit overwhelmed. The 34.3 million passengers that flew with Brazilian airlines in 2002 hiked to 107.8 million last year. That’s a 194% increase, or a triple in demand in just one decade!

In just 2011 alone there was a 16% jump from the previous year. The only other thing to see a growth this fast were the sales of vuvuzelas which made their debut in South Africa’s 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. With packed airports, increasing ticket prices, and constant delays caused by unsuited runways and radar systems, it’s safe to say Brazil’s feeling the same pressures I feel when I host tremendous gatherings. But there are benefits to such a rocketing tourism industry. Once Brazil makes the improvements on the approximately seven big-time airports that are experiencing struggles (and coughs up the $3.7 billion it’ll cost to do so), they’ll be a thriving cultural center for visitors and more than ready for our Tebow of the Tocantins (Michael Phelps).