sentences:  Furthermore, since the newly created Ministry of Air Force did not have the capacity or technique to build and maintain air fields, by the Federal Decree-Law 3.462 of June 25, 1941, Panair was authorized to build, enhance and maintain the airports of Macapá, Belém, São Luís, Fortaleza, Natal, Recife, Maceió, and Salvador, which remain operational to the present day.They had crucial strategic importance in the defense of the South Atlantic and in the transportation logistics between Brazil and West Africa.The authorization lasted for 20 years.