Brazil Vice President Geraldo Alckmin's Speech at IATA's 82nd AGM

Translation: Discurso Oficial (pdf)

Exactly 27 years ago, this city last hosted IATA. Since then, the world, aviation, and Brazil have changed-all for the better. Hosting the 82nd IATA General Assembly in this city is, for us, much more than a prestigious event: it is a recognition of the place Brazil occupies in global civil aviation. Because Brazil does not have one aviation pioneer-it has two.

The Jesuit Bartolomeu de Gusmão, born in Santos in 1685, launched the first hot-air balloon in history in the presence of King Dom João V of Portugal. Preceding the Montgolfier brothers by nearly a century, he became known as the "flying priest." The second great pioneer was Alberto Santos Dumont, who in October 1906, at the Bagatelle field in Paris, took off aboard the 14-bis without the aid of a catapult or ramp. Two Brazilians, two centuries apart, the same determination: the certainty that man could overcome gravity.

This is Brazil welcoming you today, a country with more than 300 years of aviation history. A country that flew even before the world knew flying was possible.

The current data reflects the greatness of this history. In 2025, Brazil transported nearly 130 million passengers on domestic and international flights. This represents a 9.4% increase compared to the previous year and a 9.2% rise above the previous historical record. For the first time, the domestic market surpassed 100 million passengers in a single year. Meanwhile, the international market saw 28.4 million passengers, a growth of more than 20% compared to pre-pandemic levels. We are the largest aviation market in South America and one of the largest in the world, and we still haven't reached our full potential.

Brazil has continental dimensions, a population of over 215 million people, a vigorous middle class, and a geography that makes the airplane a necessity rather than a luxury. For us, regional aviation is a vital instrument for national integration.

Brazil honored this pioneering spirit by building a world-class industry. Today, Embraer is one of only three manufacturers in the world capable of designing, certifying, and delivering complete commercial aircraft, alongside Boeing and Airbus. In 2025, Embraer grew by 18% in aircraft deliveries. Furthermore, last September, LATAM announced the purchase of up to 74 Embraer aircraft, including 24 firm orders valued at approximately 2.1 billion dollars.

The administration of President Lula views aviation as a state policy. We completed 42 airport infrastructure projects in 2024, totaling 3.2 billion reais in investments. We also launched the Ampliar Program, which aims to integrate up to 102 regional airports into existing concession contracts, unlocking a potential 3.4 billion reais in new investments.

Additionally, we zeroed the PIS and COFINS tax rates on regular passenger air transport and progressively reduced the withholding income tax (IRRF) on aircraft leasing operations, a measure that saved the sector hundreds of millions of reais. We have also included the aeronautical sector among the strategic pillars of the Nova Indústria Brasil (New Brazil Industry) program and acceded to the WTO Agreement on Trade in Civil Aircraft, a decision that places us alongside major producers in global aviation governance.

Nevertheless, our sector faces challenges that no country can resolve alone. Fuel costs remain high and volatile, supply chains still bear the scars of the pandemic, the pressure for decarbonization is growing, legitimate, and urgent, and qualified labor shortages threaten operational capacity in several markets.

On the crucial topic of aviation decarbonization, Brazil holds a unique comparative advantage as one of the world's leading biofuel producers. Our agribusiness, biodiversity, and research capacity position Brazil exceptionally well to lead the development and production of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). Brazil can be for aviation decarbonization what no other country can: a green powerhouse with the industrial capacity to transform natural resources into global solutions.

Ultimately, we envision a future that is more connected and more sustainable. A future where aviation continues to be what it has always been at its best: a force for bringing peoples together, democratizing opportunities, and integrating the world.

Thank you very much.