Varig Varig's subsidiaries: After two unsuccessful attempts to auction the airline as a whole, the bankruptcy court decided to split the airline in two different judicial entities, informally known as "old" Varig and "new" Varig: Since , the former "Viação Aérea Rio-Grandense S/A" was judicially known as "Nordeste Linhas Aéreas S/A", and operated under the brand-name Flex Linhas Aéreas. On 18 August 2009, the National Civil Aviation Agency of Brazil renewed the authorization of Flex to operate non-regular passenger, cargo and postal services. Therefore, Flex operated flights on behalf of other airlines, as contracted. Between 17 June 2005 and 2 September
American Flyers Airline to operate transatlantic flights, from the mainland US to London Gatwick and Manchester in the United Kingdom, and to Frankfurt, Germany. Around this time the airline moved its operations to Middletown, Pennsylvania. By 1970, American Flyers was operating just two leased Douglas DC-8 Series 63CF having sold the Electras and later the Boeing 727s. AFA was taken over by Universal Airlines on May 25, 1971, which in turn was absorbed by Saturn Airways the next year. Its DC-8s went to Flying Tiger Line. AFA was founded by Reed Pigman who was an early aviation pioneer who was instrumental in developing