Varig health, financial, social and recreational benefits to its employees. Decades later this foundation would be called . In 1946, with the addition of Douglas DC-3 and later the Curtiss C-46 to its fleet, Varig was able to greatly increase its network by adding cities in the states of Santa Catarina, Paraná, São Paulo, and Rio de Janeiro, facing fierce competition with Real Transportes Aéreos, and SAVAG. On , Varig bought Aero Geral, a small airline with concessions to fly from Natal until Santos. With this purchase Varig greatly enlarged its operations in Brazil, extending services beyond Rio de Janeiro until
Indigo Airlines (American airline) approval and was granted a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity. In its initial operations the company distributed a request for proposal to several aerospace manufacturers for a new regional business jet to eventually replace its initial aircraft. The Brazilian Embraer Legacy was a customized business jet version of the Embraer regional airline aircraft. Indigo was the first U.S. certified commercial operator of the Legacy and launched service with the then new stage 4 aircraft in 2003 in a 16-seat all business-class service. Former senior American Airlines executive and American Eagle President Peter Pappas was hired as manager, during the