The International route network of VARIG Brazilian Airlines in 1973 is a fascinating glimpse into a bygone world of flag carriers. Far more European cities are linked directly or indirectly with Brazil by its main airline than today, an indecipherable tangle of routes connects even tertiary airports such as Geneva and Copenhagen. The network funnels together at Rio de Janeiro, with Sao Paulo a tiny dot in Rio's shadow; today Sao Paulo is by far the dominant gateway into South America. Also note the southern Atlantic routes, particularly to Lagos and Cape Town. Ironic that four decades later this rising economic giant does boast a global carrier with an equal reach on continental Europe or Africa.
See the following post for a detail on the South American section of VARIG's network.
The "Hub Galleon" favoured the entry of tourists and the trade balance. The move to Sao Paulo has become Brazil a country that sends tourists, with deficit in the Balance of Payments - account tourism and weakened the concept of the nation. I hope that the next government be able to reverse and rebuild the Hub, Brazil at the Galeao. And reverse and rebuild VARIG.
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