Following a successful showing at the Latin American Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (LABACE) in August, Líder Aviação is hosting an exhibit at the NBAA show (Booth No. N536) and expanding its North American presence.

Líder is one of the largest aviation services providers in Brazil and during LABACE sold two Beechcraft Bonanza G36s for $760,000 each. Also at the show, Líder delivered the first Bonanza G36 to go into service in Brazil with the new modular interior.

At the same time, the company closed a contract to allow construction to begin on a new 53,800-sq-ft hangar in Itanhaém, on the coast about 50 miles south of São Paulo. According to Líder director-superintendent Junia Hermont, the new hangar represents a $10 million investment and work should be completed by the end of March 2014.

Eduardo Vaz, president of Líder Aviação, said the company had anticipated growth in business activity to continue following LABACE. “The air show is an opportunity not only to enter into contracts, but also to initiate negotiations that end up as contracts in the coming months,” he explained.

In other news announced at LABACE and further promoted here at NBAA, Líder has become the exclusive representative of Canadian business jet manufacturer Bombardier. The agreement, said Vaz, is the result of a long relationship between the two companies “and the excellence achieved by Líder in all areas of aviation where it operates.”

Líder also represents U.S. manufacturer Beechcraft’s turboprop and single-engine piston line. The partnership with Beechcraft presents no conflict of business interest with the Bombardier representation as Beechcraft shut down its business jet production last spring as part of its emergence from bankruptcy.

Vaz noted that, in its 54 years of existence, Líder has sold more than 800 aircraft. “Líder was the first company to bring a Learjet to Brazil in 1968, [and] the same pioneering spirit and commitment demonstrated for over 50 years will be part of this new partnership with Bombardier,” he added.

Latin America is now home to a fleet of more than 1,000 Beechcraft airplanes, including 420 in Brazil alone.