At the start of September, Brazilian airline Total Linhas Aéreas stopped operating after its air operator’s certificate (AOC) was suspended by Brazil’s Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil (ANAC).
The suspension followed a safety audit that turned up a number of deficiencies in the airline’s operating and management systems, as well as concerns over the overall airworthiness of an aging fleet.
The suspension was described as “precautionary and provisional” by ANAC, which means the AOC was not fully revoked and can be regained if the issues raised in the audit are resolved, A21 reported.
But without a valid AOC issued by the government regulatory agency where the airline is based, a carrier cannot legally run or sell any flights to passengers. As a result, Total Linhas Aéreas has been grounded since the start of September.
Brazilian charter airline Total Linhas Aéreas begins returning planes
The carrier was launched out of the Brazilian capital of Brasilia in 1998 and grew to run a range of charter and cargo flights within the large South American country.
Total Linhas Aéreas was the main provider of air mail services for Brazilian national postal service Correios, and its fleet included five Boeing 737-400 freighter planes.
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The latest reporting on the airline from ch-aviation indicates that Total Linhas Aéreas has begun returning some of its leased Boeing planes to the manufacturer to reduce its financial obligations.
It also reportedly has lost its contract with Correios due to its inability to run flights. Without the planes, a timely restart now looks increasingly unlikely.
Image source: Shutterstock
Total Linhas Aéreas says it is “working to reverse” suspended license
The airline has not elaborated on the details of its situation or a time frame for resuming flights, but previously issued a statement saying it is “working to reverse” the suspended AOC.
“The company is working to reverse ANAC’s decision,” a Total Linhas Aéreas representative said in a press release, translated from Portuguese, issued earlier in the month. “We will keep the market updated on the matter.”
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To do this, the airline must demonstrate the correct operation of its Operational Safety Management System (SGSO) and Continued Analysis and Surveillance System (SASC) to ANAC regulators.
Airlines that have lost AOCs since the start of 2026:
- Izhavia: Russian regional airline Izhavia had its AOC revoked by the country’s aviation regulatory agency in July 2026 as Western sanctions over Russia’s war in Ukraine left the country’s aviation industry crippled by a lack of Western parts and reduced ability to ensure maintenance standards.
- Bestfly Aircraft Management Aruba: The Caribbean branch of the African charter airline Bestfly Aircraft Management Aruba lost its AOC in May 2026. The Aruban branch was established in 2017 to run flights between the Caribbean countries of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao.
- Starflite Aviation: Houston-based Starflite Aviation had its AOC license revoked in March 2026, amid FAA claims that owners falsified pilot training records to bypass safety audits.
- AlpAvia: Slovenian charter airline AlpAvia also shut down in March 2026 due to financial problems.
Related: Another airline gets license suspended, all flights off
