(AFP) - The Brazilian carrier Azul said Friday it was setting a maximum price on all flights during the World Cup from June 12 to July 13.
The company said in a statement to AFP it would charge a maximum US$450 per single flight or US$900 return for all domestic trips, and also make an extra 600 flights available to meet demand during the tournament.
The company said it had already asked aviation authority ANAC for permission for 310 extra flights.
Brazil expects to welcome around 600,000 foreign football fans during the event, many of whom will criss-cross the country to follow their teams.
Three million Brazilians are expected to do the same, prompting two other airlines to ask aviation authorities to approve 1,500 additional flights during the event.
To date the country has indicated it expects national carriers to cope with demand without allowing foreign airlines to operate domestic flights.
The projected high cost of air travel in Brazil during the World Cup has been occupying the minds of fans and politicians alike in recent months.
Last October, Brazil created an inter-ministerial committee to monitor prices given reports of expensive accommodation and flights.
Brazil is struggling to overhaul creaking airport infrastructure, meaning that capacity increases will necessarily be limited.
Air travel is often the only way to cover large distances in the huge country of 200 million. But many airports need extensive modernization and routes between many provincial cities are few and far between.
