Airship flies through the sky of SP to promote carrier – 06/22/2023 – Market

Carrier Braspress carried out a marketing action that had not been seen in São Paulo for a few years: it set up a blimp to fly around the city.

The campaign lasted three days, from Tuesday (20) to this Thursday (22). The flights departed from Campo de Marte, in the north zone, and there were trips to cities in Greater São Paulo, such as Osasco, as well as Jundiaí and Campinas.

The vehicle was piloted by Charles Chueiri, 64, who also drove airships in the 2000s, at a time when it was not uncommon to see one of them, with the Goodyear brand crossing the skies.

“We see that the city doesn’t stop, it grows. Eighteen years later, there are buildings where there weren’t any, some much taller than before”, compares Chueiri.

Where there are fewer buildings, the airship can fly a little lower. In these cases, the pilot can better see people’s reactions. “On at least two or three blocks I saw kids playing soccer. They wave goodbye, they jump up and down, I can see it and I wave back,” he says.

“I had friends who called me and said ‘it’s good that you’re here again. It’s very rewarding”, he continues.

A former Air Force pilot, Chueiri has been driving airships since 2001. He learned to fly them on a course in the United States. Airships fly on helium gas. Like helicopters, they can take off and land vertically, without needing a runway.

Chueiri, however, says he had some problems with air traffic control at São Paulo airports, which restricted access to some neighborhoods and blocked movement. “I had to wait 40 minutes in the sun, due to traffic that wasn’t intense”, he laments.

“I wanted to fly in certain more populated regions, but I was restricted. I did not intend to fly in any congested area, such as in the vicinity of Congonhas airport, but my flight was very restricted”, he comments.

The pilot says that, before the flight, he sought out the CRCEA-SE (Regional Center for Southeast Air Space Control) to explain his plans and how airships work, although he was under no obligation to do so. “Sometimes people confuse airship flight with balloon flight, but the airship is a certified aircraft, which can fly in any airspace”, he points out.

Chueiri says that there are plans to make new flights in São Paulo, but that the details and dates are yet to be negotiated.

Braspress’ action in the capital ended this Thursday, at the end of the afternoon. The airship will return to the base, in São Carlos, in the interior of São Paulo.

The airship in use is the ADB-3-3 model, owned by the company Airship do Brasil. The aircraft was manufactured in Brazil, based on a project developed abroad.

The vehicle has capacity for six people, including the pilot. At the top, it takes 3,908 m³ of helium gas. It is 49 meters long and can fly at up to 86 km/h, at a maximum altitude of 2.7 km.

“In the past, the airship was a powerful marketing tool used by tire manufacturers. However, this practice was discontinued many years ago. Surprisingly, an opportunity arose for Braspress to use this airship as a marketing tool in São Paulo. you know it won’t be a trend again?”, said Urubatan Helou, president of the company, in a statement. The carrier declined to reveal the amount invested in the campaign.

Between 1998 and 2006, a blimp with the Goodyear brand used to fly through the skies of São Paulo to publicize the brand. It was also used to capture footage of stadiums in sports broadcasts.

At the time, one of the reasons for the end of the action was a potential conflict with the Clean City Law, which limits advertising actions and brand exposure in public space in São Paulo.

The report sought out the City of São Paulo to find out if the current action could violate the rule, but did not receive a response until the publication of the report.

In 2021, for example, a golden bull placed in front of the Stock Exchange, in the center of the capital, was removed for violating the Clean City Law.