Logistics Reconfiguration and Operational Performance: a longitudinal analysis of the Brazilian air triopoly in the face of the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic caused a significant disruption in the Brazilian airline industry, characterized by high fixed costs, heavy dependence on capital and high sensitivity to external shocks. In this context, this study proposed to longitudinally analyze the performance and logistics reconfiguration of Azul, GOL and LATAM between 2016 and 2025. Using ANAC microdata processed in R, operational indicators in domestic flights were evaluated, such as volume, Available Seat Kilometers (ASK), Revenue Passenger Kilometers (RPK) and Load Factor. The results indicated that, pre-pandemic, GOL and LATAM focused on dense routes under the hub-and-spoke model (centralized network of connections) with narrow-body fleets. Azul stood out for its regional capillarity, with about 49.8% of exclusive routes. In the crisis, activity on the main roads fell by more than 90%, requiring general concentration in hubs, although Azul's diversified fleet maintained a minimum viable network. In the post-pandemic period, different trajectories were noted: LATAM indicated a significant recovery in its operating indicators, possibly associated with its restructuring process (Chapter 11); Azul expanded the volume of operations, although the data suggest that this expansion did not translate into proportional efficiency gains; and GOL showed greater operational and financial fragility. It is concluded that the resilience of the companies was related to the previous configurations of their networks, the composition of the fleets and the financial strategies adopted during the crisis