BRASILIA, Feb 7 (Reuters) - Spanish airline Air Nostrum, a
unit of International Airlines Group, has become the
second foreign airline to seek permission to operate domestic
flights in Brazil, civil aviation regulator ANAC said on Friday.
If and when it obtains authorization, flights would start in
the second half of this year under a new airline name, ANAC said
in a statement.
Air Nostrum, based in Valencia on Spain’s eastern coast, is
owned by flag carrier Iberia, part of the IAG group along with
British Airways.
Last year, Spanish tourism and transportation company Grupo
Globalia, which owns Air Europa, became the first 100%
foreign-owned company to get a license to operate in Brazil's
domestic market.
In the last two years, new carriers have also entered the
Brazilian market with international routes, such as Norwegian
Air, Sky Airlines, Flybondi and Jetsmart, offering
low-cost flights to Europe and other Latin American countries.
In another sign of growing international competition,
Britain's Virgin Atlantic will begin flights from Brazil to
London in March.
(Reporting by Anthony Boadle;
Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)