SAVAG – Sociedade Anônima Viação Aérea Gaúcha
SAVAG – Sociedade Anônima Viação Aérea Gaúcha was a Brazilian airline founded in 1946 that operated mainly in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. It was absorbed by Cruzeiro do Sul in 1966. History. SAVAG was founded in on November 25, 1946 in the city of Rio Grande, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, by Augusto Otero and Gustavo Kraemer, with a concession to fly within the state of Rio Grande do Sul. Later, the concession was expanded to include the state of Santa Catarina. In 1947 SAVAG purchased 3 Lockheed Model  18 Lodestar from Panair do Brasil and initiated services between Porto Alegre, Rio Grande, Pelotas, and Bagé. In 1948 SAVAG started flying to the north of the state was well. SAVAG faced fierce competition from Varig and, for this reason, it had strong support from Varig's competitor in the region, Cruzeiro do Sul. It was from Cruzeiro do Sul that SAVAG purchased 2 Douglas DC-3 and it was with Cruzeiro that SAVAG established an operational partnership. Varig, a politically more powerful player, pressured the Air Force Ministry to gradually cancel route concessions of SAVAG, alleging excessive competition. On January  1, 1966, SAVAG was bought and merged into Cruzeiro do Sul. In 1953 Bagé International Airport was named in honor of Gustavo Kraemer, founder of SAVAG. Moreover, Salgado Filho International Airport in Porto Alegre was named in honor of the senator and minister Joaquim Pedro Salgado Filho, who was killed in the 1950 accident with a SAVAG aircraft. Destinations. In 1960 SAVAG operated in the following locations in the states of Paraná, Santa Catarina, and Rio Grande do Sul