Varig Natal along the Brazilian coast and was thus better prepared to compete with Panair do Brasil and Cruzeiro do Sul. In 1949 the Brazilian government granted to Varig the concession to fly to the United States, since the original airline which had the concession, Cruzeiro do Sul, was unable to operate the services. The inaugural flight between Rio de Janeiro-Galeão and New York-Idllwild (later renamed John F. Kennedy International Airport) was on . The services were operated by three new Lockheed L-1049G Super Constellations. On flights to Buenos Aires using Curtiss C-46s started. In January 1956 Varig served 55 cities
South Pacific Airlines of New Zealand South Pacific Airlines of New Zealand South Pacific Airlines of New Zealand (SPANZ) was a New Zealand airline, operating between 1960 and 1966. It is regarded as a forerunner to Ansett New Zealand. SPANZ was founded in 1960 by Bob Anderson and Rex Daniell, who had formerly been pilots for NAC, the state airline of the time. The Australian airline Ansett-ANA was a major shareholder. SPANZ was established in direct competition with NAC, although the airline's policy to link larger secondary towns. The New Zealand aviation industry at the time was highly regulated in favour of the state carrier, and