VARIG (acronym for Viação Aérea RIo-Grandense) was the first airline founded in Brazil in 1927. From 1965 until 1990 it was Brazil's leading and almost only international airline. In 2005 Varig went into judicial reorganisation (similar to the American concept of bankruptcy protection) and in 2006 it was split into two companies informally known as old Varig - heir to the original airline and new Varig - a new company presently fully integrated into Gol Airlines.
