Gabriela de Ávila Machado
Lawyer at Marcos Martins Advogados
Law No. 14.034 was published on August 6, 2020. The law provides for emergency measures for Brazilian civil aviation to mitigate the crisis brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Among other measures, the deadline for payment of the fixed and variable contributions provided for in airport concession contracts is extended until December 18, 2020, and the federal government is prohibited from promoting the economic and financial rebalancing of these contracts as a result of this extension.
For consumers, it is important to note that the company will reimburse the cost of airline tickets for flight cancellations between March 19 and December 31, 2020, within 12 (twelve) months from the date of the cancelled flight. However, the consumer may be offered the option of receiving a credit equal to or greater than the value of the airline ticket.
If, however, the flight is canceled by the consumer in the period between March 19, 2020 and December 31, 2020, the consumer may choose to receive a refund, subject, however, to the payment of any contractual penalties, or to obtain a credit corresponding to the value of the flight ticket, without the incidence of any contractual penalties.