Struggling Brazilian airline Avianca Brasil had told regulators that it was permanently cancelling several routes as of yesterday despite continuing to sell tickets for them on its website, according to a letter seen by Reuters. The airline, which has been fighting aircraft lessors in bankruptcy court, told civil aviation regulator ANAC in the letter sent on Friday that it was ending 48 flight frequencies — around a quarter of its capacity — due to a shrinking fleet. The changes were due to take effect yesterday, according to the letter, but Avianca Brasil’s website showed it was still selling tickets for several of the routes that it had told ANAC it would discontinue. A representative for Avianca Brasil told Reuters the letter to ANAC was just a preliminary plan and that it was working hard to adjust its flights to affect the fewest passengers possible.
