Avianca Brazil will continue to operate 10 Airbus A320 family aircraft managed by GECAS, following a hearing in a Brazil bankruptcy court today.

GECAS has agreed to suspend an earlier move to remove the aircraft from Brazil's national aircraft registry, says Brazil's civil aviation regulator ANAC.

The Sao Paulo-based carrier will continue to operate scheduled flights normally, it adds. A GECAS spokesperson declines to comment, citing pending litigation.

ANAC had yesterday said it was moving to withdraw the 10 aircraft from its registry, acting on a request from GECAS.

The lessor manages 11 A320 family aircraft in Avianca Brazil's fleet, including 10 A320neos that range from one to just under two-and-a-half years old, Flight Fleets Analyzer shows.

The financially troubled airline, which continued growing even through the Brazil recession, filed for bankruptcy protection on 11 December. It has said it will return four Airbus A330-200s and will scrap international flights to New York John F Kennedy, Miami and Santiago from 31 March.

Avianca Brazil reported a net loss of R176 million ($45.8 million) in the first six months of 2018, according to financial data filed with ANAC. In the second quarter alone, it reported a net loss of R141 million.

The airline was profitable in 2017, posting a net profit of R41.6 million, according to the ANAC data. It reported a net loss of R71.4 million in 2016.

Source: Cirium Dashboard