Varig Flight 820 Varig Flight 820 Varig Flight 820 was a flight of the Brazilian airline Varig that departed from Galeão International Airport in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on July 11, 1973, for Orly Airport, in Paris, France. The plane, a Boeing 707 registration PP-VJZ, made an emergency landing on onion fields about four kilometers from Orly Airport, due to smoke in the cabin from a fire in one of the toilets. The fire caused 123 deaths; there were only 11 survivors (ten crew members and one passenger). Flight 820's problems began when a fire started in a rear lavatory. Crew members moved
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