Austrian Airlines records rising booking figures

Austrian Airlines has made this announcement:

• CCO Michael Trestl: “Eased travel regulations and rising vaccination rates have quadrupled our bookings”
• Greece, Spain and Italy among the most popular destinations
• Austrian Airlines continues to offer full flexibility in rebooking and security

With a rising vaccination rate and easings of entry regulations in many European countries, Austrians are feeling the urge to travel again. The desire of finally putting their feet in the sand again is big. This was also made clear during the Corpus Christi weekend, which many passengers used for a short holiday in the south. Greece, Spain and Italy were the top three destinations. Because of the increased demand in flights, Austrian Airlines deployed larger aircraft than planned on short notice and added extra flights.

A glance at the months from June to August also gives the red-white-red home carrier cause for optimism. “Demand is increasing daily, and new bookings on many routes have quadrupled since mid-May. It is also noticeable that bookings are increasingly being made on a longer-term basis,” reports Austrian Airlines Sales Director Michael Trestl. For summer holidays, Mediterranean destinations such as Greece, Cyprus, Italy and Spain including Mallorca are among the most popular destinations. “The booking dynamics show that we are meeting the travel needs of Austrians very well with our summer flight schedule, which mainly serves inner-European destinations in the Mediterranean. With a total of more than 100 destinations, we are offering a variety of destinations at pre-crisis levels in midsummer,” says CCO Michael Trestl. Of course, not all destinations are yet served with the usual frequency again, but the production level in the tourist sector is back at the pre-crisis level. “With the recently announced travel easings for the return from Cyprus, Croatia, the Netherlands and Sweden, as well as with the Green Pass coming into effect, we are expecting further growth in bookings,” says Trestl.

Top Copyright Photo: Austrian Airlines Airbus A320-214 OE-LBI (msn 1937) ZRH (Rolf Wallner). Image: 953896.

Austrian Airlines aircraft slide show:

Spirit Airlines is finally coming to Miami

Spirit Airlines has long had a competitive hub at lower-cost Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood Airport (FLL). Now the growing carrier is planning to expand to nearby Miami International Airport (MIA) in October following the moves of other low-cost carriers.

Spirit Airlines is planning to fly from MIA up to 30 domestic and international destinations starting on October 6, 2021.

Current Spirit routes from the FLL hub:

Frontier Airlines has also been expanding at MIA along with Southwest Airlines.

This will put increased pressure on American Airlines’ hub at MIA.

Top Copyright Photo: Spirit Airlines Airbus A320-271N WL N932NK (msn 10008) (Spirit Untamed) BWI (Brian McDonough). Image: 953897.

Spirit Airlines aircraft slide show:

LATAM Group shows signs of recovery, projecting an operation of 36% in June

LATAM Airlines Group said on Wednesday that it had sought to extend until September the deadline to present its restructuring plan as part of the bankruptcy protection process initiated in 2020 according to Reuters.

LATAM Group issued this statement:

LATAM’s passenger operation for June 2021 is estimated to reach 36% (measured in available seats-kilometers – ASK) relative to the same month in 2019, in a pre-pandemic context. The forecast operation is higher than that of last May (30.8%, measured in ASK), as all markets show higher projections than those of the previous month, largely attributed to the progress of the vaccination rollout in the countries where LATAM operates and the resulting increase in demand.

LATAM estimates approximately 691 daily domestic and international flights in the sixth month of the year, connecting 114 destinations in 14 countries. Meanwhile, the Cargo division has scheduled more than 1,000 cargo freighter flights for June, 20% more than in June 2019. All of these projections are subject to the evolution of the pandemic, as well as travel restrictions in the countries where LATAM operates.

During May 2021, passenger traffic (measured in revenue passenger-kilometers – RPK) was 25.6% compared to the same period of 2019, based on an operation, measured in ASK (available seat-kilometers), of 30.8% relative to May 2019. This implies that the load factor decreased 14.1 percentage points, reaching 69.6%.

In cargo, the load factor was 69.8%, which corresponds to an increase of 13.4 percentage points relative to May 2019.

LATAM Group Operational Estimate – June 2021

(Measured in ASK)

Brazil	● 38% projected operation (versus June 2019) ○ 62% domestic and 15% international ● Total June destinations: 44 domestic (equivalent to 310 daily flights on average) and 11 international ○ Updates: New Sao Paulo / Guarulhos-Cancun route, with 2 weekly frequencies
Chile	● 23% projected operation (versus June 2019) ○ 68% domestic and 6% international ● Total June destinations: 15 domestic (equivalent to 97 daily flights on average) and 11 international ○ Updates: Restart operation Antofagasta-La Serena (2 weekly frequencies) and Santiago-Osorno (3 weekly frequencies)
Colombia	● 59% projected operation (versus June 2019) ○ 94% domestic and 23% international ● Total June destinations: 15 domestic (equivalent to 118 daily flights on average) and 3 international ○ Updates: New Bogotá-Miami route, with 3 weekly frequencies, in addition to Bogotá-Armenia (7 weekly frequencies)
Ecuador	● 39% projected operation (versus June 2019) ○ 58% domestic and 5% international ● Total June destinations: 7 domestic (equivalent to 18 daily flights on average) and 2 international
Peru	● 38% projected operation (versus June 2019) ○ 64% domestic and 28% international ● Total June destinations: 19 domestic (equivalent to 113 daily flights on average) and 14 international ○ Updates: Increase in weekly frequencies to the United States, reaching 30 in total (16 frequencies to Miami, 7 to New York and 7 to Los Angeles)
Cargo	● 68% projected operation (versus June 2019) ○ 52% domestic belly and 35% international belly* ○ 128% dedicated freighter

*Belly: merchandise transported in the cargo hold (lower deck) of the aircraft.

Iberojet now operates between Madrid and Lisbon and the Caribbean

Iberojet (Palma de Mallorca and Lisbon) (formerly Evelop AIrlines and Orbest Airlines) is now offering the following routes to the Caribbean, Mexico and Central America from Madrid and Lisbon:

Route Map:

Madrid – Punta Cana – Madrid

Madrid – San José – Madrid

Madrid – Cancun – Madrid

Lisbon – Punta Cana – Lisbon

Lisbon – Cancun – Lisbon

Previously on December 8, 2020, it was announced Evelop Airlines of Spain would merge with Orbest Airlines of Portugal to form the pictured Iberojet.

The pictured Airbus A350-900 (top) now displays the livery of the newly created carrier.

Top Copyright Photo: Iberojet Airbus A350-941 EC-NGY (msn 400) FRA (Bernhard Ross). Image: 954059.

Ryanair welcomes EU Court ruling on Condor state aid

Ryanair today welcomed the EU General Court’s annulment of the European Commission’s approval of State aid by Germany to Condor. In April 2020, the German government granted a €550m loan to Condor, which had already benefited from a €380m rescue loan from Germany in 2019 following the bankruptcy of its parent company, Thomas Cook.

While the Covid-19 crisis has caused damage to all airlines that contribute to the economy and the connectivity of Germany, the German government decided to support only its inefficient “national” airlines, including Condor.

Ryanair referred the European Commission’s approval of this €550m illegal subsidy to Condor to the EU General Court in 2020.

A Ryanair spokesperson said:

“The German government aid to Condor – both in 2019 and 2020 – went against the fundamental principles of EU law and has distorted the market to the detriment of consumers. Today’s ruling is an important victory for consumers and competition.

During the Covid-19 pandemic over €30 billion in discriminatory State subsidies has been gifted to EU flag carriers. Unless halted by the EU Courts in line with today’s ruling, the effects of market distortion caused by this State aid will be felt for decades. If Europe is to emerge from this crisis with a functioning single market, the European Commission must stand up to national governments and stop rubber stamping discriminatory State aid to inefficient national airlines.”

Top Copyright Photo: Ryanair Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 (200) EI-HEN (msn 62301) PAE (Nick Dean). Image: 953050.

Ryanair aircraft slide show:

Ryanair to double its presence in Rome Fiumicino this summer

Ryanair has announced the addition of three based Boeing 737-800 aircraft, six new routes and over 65 flights every week from Rome Fiumicino to a host of domestic and international destinations.

Ryanair remains committed to delivering connectivity to Rome and expects its Summer ’21 schedule, including 78 routes from both Rome airports in total and over 470 departing flights per week,.

Ryanair’s Rome Summer ‘21 schedule will deliver (Fiumicino and Ciampino):

Up to 14 based aircraft, including three additional based aircraft in Fiumicino from August
78 routes in total (six domestic / 72 international)*
11 new routes
Over 470 departing flights per week across both airports
Connections to holiday destinations such as Malta & Rhodes, city breaks to Madrid & Porto, as well as domestic connections to Cagliari & Trapani.

Ryanair’s Rome Fiumicino Extended Summer ‘21 schedule will deliver:

Up to six based aircraft, including three additional based aircraft from August – a $300m investment
Up to 180 direct jobs and over 2,200 indirect jobs
21 routes in total (four domestic / 17 international) *
Six new routes, all commencing in August:

Route	Departing Flights Per Week	Route	Departing Flights Per Week
Chania	3	Santorini	4
Fuerteventura	3	Tenerife South	3
Liverpool	4	Zakynthos	4

Extra flights on eight routes:

Route	Departing Flights Per Week	Route	Departing Flights Per Week
Barcelona	14 (+5)	Catania	49 (+7)
Bari	18 (+4)	Kyiv	7 (+2)
Brindisi	14 (+7)	Palermo	35 (+7)
Brussels	14 (+11)	Vienna	7 (+4)

Connections to holiday destinations such as Malaga & Malta, city breaks to Seville & Vienna, as well as domestic connections to Brindisi & Palermo.

easyJet opens a new seasonal base in Malaga

easyJet has made this announcement:

With this new base, easyJet brings the number of its bases to three in Spain (Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca) and reaffirms its commitment to the region.
With three based aircraft, the airline will create around 100 new direct jobs, including pilots and crew, all of them employed under local contracts in line with the Spanish legislation.

Ahead of the summer season, easyJet on June 8 inaugurated its new seasonal base at Malaga-Costa del Sol Airport, which will allow the carrier to better respond to an increase in demand due to different European countries progressively re-opening for tourism. The new base, operational since June 1, adds to those that easyJet already has in Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca and consolidates the company’s presence in Spain, an ever-growing market for the airline.

easyJet will now base a total of 12 aircraft in Spain where it counts on more than 400 employees, all employed under local contracts. easyJet is the 2nd airline in Malaga and, after announcing a new route with Birmingham (from June 29 to October 30), it now offers up to 14 routes to some of the most popular destinations in Europe, such as London, Berlin, Geneva, Paris or Amsterdam, among others.

Finnair reports a slight uptick in passenger traffic in May

In May, Finnair carried 82,800 passengers, which was 210.4% more than in May 2020. The COVID-19 impact was clearly visible already then as Finnair operated only a minimum network due to strict and extensive travel restrictions. The number of passengers in May 2021 was 2.3% more than in April 2021 (month-on-month figures are not fully comparable as there is one day less in April compared to May).

The COVID-19 impact, including the exceptionally strict travel restrictions imposed by several countries, still affected all passenger traffic figures. It was visible especially in the North Atlantic and Asian figures. The overall capacity measured in Available Seat Kilometres (ASK) increased in May by 318.3% year-on-year but decreased by 0.6% month-on-month. Finnair operated 65 daily flights (cargo-only included) on average which was 80.6% more than in May 2020 but 3.0% less than in April 2021. The differences between capacity figures compared to May 2020 are explained by the longer average stage length of operated flights and by the larger gauge of operated aircraft. Finnair’s traffic measured in Revenue Passenger Kilometres (RPKs) increased by 305.9% year-on-year and by 9.1% month-on-month. The Passenger Load Factor (PLF) decreased by 0.9% points to 29.0% year-on-year but increased by 2.6% points month-on-month.

The ASK increase in Asian as well as in North Atlantic traffic was 100.0% year-on-year as there were no related passenger flights in May 2020. In European traffic, the ASKs were up by 67.6%. The ASKs in domestic traffic increased by 141.7%.

RPKs increased in Asian and North Atlantic traffic by 100.0% year-on-year, in European traffic by 193.8% and in domestic traffic by 257.8%.

The PLF was 11.8% in Asian traffic but it was supported by the strong cargo operations and a high cargo load factor. The PLF was 22.7% in North Atlantic traffic, 49.6% in European traffic and 69.9% in domestic traffic.

Passenger numbers increased in Asian and North Atlantic traffic by 100.0% year-on-year, in European traffic by 179.2% and in domestic traffic by 239.6%.

In May, available scheduled cargo tonne kilometres increased by 2,736.6% year-on-year (decreased by 4.6% month-on-month) and revenue scheduled cargo tonne kilometres increased by 6,145.3% (decreased by 7.7% month-on-month), both due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on scheduled flights especially Asian and North Atlantic traffic in May 2020. However, cargo related available tonne kilometres increased only by 43.4% year-on-year (decreased by 15.3% month-on-month) and revenue tonne kilometres increased by 62.3% (decreased by 16.2% month-on-month) as they both also include the cargo-only flights operated mainly between Europe and Asia as well as Europe and North America. Cargo-only tonnes were down by 1.4% year-on-year and by 19.0% month-on-month. The total cargo tonnes increased by 53.6% year-on-year but decreased by 14.6% month-on-month. Demand for the cargo capacity remained strong especially in Asian traffic. As a result, the cargo load factor was higher than in the corresponding period of 2020.

In May, 94.9% of all Finnair flights arrived on schedule (96.5%).

Traffic statistics for June 2021 will be published on Wednesday 7 July 2021.

Finnair Traffic Performance May 2021
	Month	% Change	YTD	% Change
Total traffic
Passengers 1,000	82.8	210.4	422.9	-84.3
Available seat kilometres mill	410.7	318.3	2,025.6	-79.5
Revenue passenger kilometres mill	119.1	305.9	534.8	-92.4
Passenger load factor %	29.0	-0.9p	26.4	-45.2p
Cargo tonnes total	6,765.5	53.6	34,099.3	-6.4
Available tonne kilometres mill	141.8	33.7	715.6	-55.0
Revenue tonne kilometres mill	60.3	81.5	298.6	-65.5

Asia
Passengers 1.000 Asia	3.5	100.0	16.0	-96.6
Available seat kilometres mill Asia	221.2	100.0	1,112.3	-76.3
Revenue passenger kilometres mill Asia	26.1	100.0	119.8	-96.7
Passenger load factor % Asia	11.8	N/A	10.8	-65.6p

Europe
Passengers 1.000 Europe	55.0	179.2	216.9	-86.0
Available seat kilometres mill Europe	150.5	67.6	640.4	-83.0
Revenue passenger kilometres mill Europe	74.6	193.8	278.2	-88.9
Passenger load factor % Europe	49.6	21.3p	43.4	-23.1p

North Atlantic
Passengers 1.000 North Atlantic	0.6	100.0	1.0	-98.8
Available seat kilometres mill North Atlantic	18.7	100.0	54.8	-93.5
Revenue passenger kilometres mill North Atlantic	4.2	100.0	6.7	-99.0
Passenger load factor % North Atlantic	22.7	N/A	12.3	-64.1p

Domestic
Passengers 1.000 Domestic	23.7	239.6	189.0	-68.6
Available seat kilometres mill Domestic	20.3	141.7	218.2	-63.4
Revenue passenger kilometres mill Domestic	14.2	257.8	130.0	-63.7
Passenger load factor % Domestic	69.9	22.7p	59.6	-0.6p

Cargo Traffic
Europe tonnes	162.6	-1.9	871.8	-87.7
North Atlantic tonnes	149.8	100.0	460.3	-81.7
Asia tonnes	2,263.8	100.0	11,542.4	-44.3
Domestic tonnes	24.0	39.0	136.1	-5.3
Cargo scheduled traffic total tonnes	2,600.1	1,321.4	13,010.7	-57.3
Cargo flights tonnes**	4,165.4	-1.4	21,088.6	251.9
Cargo Traffic tonnes total	6,765.5	53.6	34,099.3	-6.4
Available tonne kilometres* mill	60.1	43.4	307.1	-27.3
Revenue tonne kilometres mill	49.7	62.3	251.3	7.9
Available sched. cargo tonne kms* mill	22.6	2,736.6	111.7	-69.3
Revenue sched. cargo tonne kms mill	18.5	6,145.3	92.5	-51.3
Cargo load factor* %	82.6	9.6p	81.8	26.7p
– North-Atlantic cargo load factor* %	78.9	N/A	81.1	15.0p
– Asia cargo load factor* %	85.3	N/A	86.0	30.1p
Scheduled traffic Cargo load factor* %	81.8	44.6p	82.8	30.7p

* Based on average operational cargo capacity

** Including purchased traffic

Change %: Change compared to the figures of the respective periods in the previous year (p = points).
Available seat kilometres. ASK: Total number of seats available. multiplied by the number of kilometres flown.
Revenue passenger kilometres. RPK: Number of revenue passengers carried. multiplied by kilometres flown.
Passenger load factor: Share of revenue passenger kilometres of available seat kilometres.
Available tonne kilometres. ATK: Number of tonnes of capacity for carriage of passengers. cargo and mail. multiplied by kilometres flown.
Revenue tonne kilometres. RTK: Total revenue load consisting of passengers. cargo and mail. multiplied by kilometres flown.
Overall load factor: Share of revenue tonne kilometres of available tonne kilometres.

Southwest exercises 34 options for the new Boeing 737-7 MAX 7s

Southwest Airlines has announced it will exercise 34 options into firm orders for the Boeing 737-7 MAX 7. This brings the firm total to 234 aircraft.

In addition, Southwest also has 149 Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 on order through 2031.

The company will use the new aircraft to retire older 737s.

The airline filed this update:

Based on improving revenue trends and ongoing fleet modernization plans, the Company recently entered into a Supplemental Agreement with The Boeing Company (Boeing) to increase its 2022 firm orders by 34 Boeing 737 MAX 7 (MAX 7) aircraft (consisting of two 2022 options exercised and 32 options accelerated and exercised from later years), resulting in 234 firm orders for MAX 7 aircraft.

Additionally, the Company accelerated 32 options into 2023, 16 options into 2024, 16 options into 2025, and added 32 new options into 2026 through 2027, bringing the total firm and option order book to 660 aircraft.

The Company continues to estimate its 2021 total capital expenditures to be approximately $500 million, with minimal aircraft capital spending, and now expects its contractual aircraft capital spending to be approximately $1.5 billion in 20225, compared with its previous guidance of approximately $700 million.

Fleet and capacity plans will continue to evolve as the Company manages through this recovery period, and it will continue to evaluate its remaining 40 MAX options in 2022.

The Company continues to plan to retire 30 to 35 of its Boeing 737-700 aircraft annually, on average, over the next 10 to 15 years; however, with its cost-effective order book, the Company retains significant flexibility to manage its fleet size, including opportunities to accelerate fleet modernization efforts if growth opportunities do not materialize.

Additional information regarding the Company’s delivery schedule is included in the following table.

New 737 Delivery Schedule:


	The Boeing Company
	MAX 7 Firm Orders	MAX 8 Firm Orders		MAX 7 or 8 Options	Additional MAX 8s		Total
2021	—	19		—	9		28	(a)
2022	64	—		40	—		104
2023	30	—		70	—		100
2024	30	—		56	—		86
2025	30	—		56	—		86
2026	15	15		40	—		70
2027	15	15		6	—		36
2028	15	15		—	—		30
2029	20	30		—	—		50
2030	15	45		—	—		60
2031	—	10		—	—		10
	234	149	(b)	268	9	(c)	660

(a) Includes 20 737 MAX 8s delivered as of March 31, 2021, consisting of 12 owned and 8 leased aircraft.

(b) The Company has flexibility to designate firm orders or options as MAX 7 or MAX 8, upon written advance notification as stated in the contract.

(c) These 9 additional MAX 8 aircraft are leases from various third parties, including 8 leased MAX 8 aircraft delivered in first quarter 2021. The Company also received 7 leased MAX 8 aircraft in fourth quarter 2020, for a total of 16 MAX 8 operating leased aircraft from third parties in 2020 and 2021, combined.

Previously on March 29, 2021 the company issued this statement:

Southwest Airlines has announced the completion of its previously disclosed discussions with The Boeing Company (Boeing) regarding the restructuring of its delivery schedule for MAX aircraft. The Company has completed the multi-year evaluation of the successor aircraft to its Boeing 737-700 model, with the selection of the Boeing 737 MAX 7 aircraft. Southwest Airlines^® and Boeing reached agreement on 100 firm orders for MAX 7 aircraft, with the first 30 scheduled to be delivered in 2022. This agreement underscores Southwest’s commitment to continued modernization of its fleet with more fuel-efficient and climate-friendly aircraft. It also positions Southwest to capitalize on growth opportunities, when they arise.

As part of the agreement, the Company also converted 70 MAX 8 firm orders to MAX 7 firm orders and added 155 MAX options for MAX 7 or MAX 8 aircraft for years 2022 through 2029. These order book additions and revisions result in a new total of 349 MAX firm orders (200 MAX 7 and 149 MAX 8) and 270 MAX options for MAX 7 or MAX 8 aircraft for years 2021 through 2031. The Company’s previous order book consisted of 249 MAX firm orders (30 MAX 7 and 219 MAX 8) and 115 MAX options for MAX 7 or MAX 8 aircraft for years 2021 through 2026. The Company continues to expect delivery of 28 MAX 8 aircraft in total this year (19 from Boeing and 9 from third-party lessors), as well as 17 737-700 retirements, ending 2021 with 69 MAX 8 aircraft and 729 total aircraft.

This announcement reinforces the Company’s confidence in the 737 MAX as the future of the Southwest fleet. This cost-effective order book with Boeing allows the Company to maintain the operational efficiencies of an all-Boeing 737 fleet to support its low-cost, point-to-point route network. The Company was the launch Customer of the MAX 8 and is scheduled to be the launch Customer of the MAX 7 after also launching prior 737 generations, including the -300, -500, and -700 series.

The Company expects more than half of the 737 MAX aircraft in its firm order book will replace a significant amount of its 462 737-700 aircraft over the next 10 to 15 years to support the modernization of its fleet, a key component of its environmental sustainability efforts. Southwest is proud of its fuel efficiency improvement of nearly 50 percent since 2000², and the billions of dollars in capital expenditures committed to the 737 MAX order book reinforces the airline’s commitment to further improve fuel efficiency and reduce carbon emissions.

The Company’s flight schedules are currently published and available for sale through August 16, 2021. The Company remains cautious in this uncertain environment where travel demand remains depressed due to the negative financial effects of the COVID-19 pandemic; as such, available seat mile (ASMs, or capacity) plans have not been refined beyond May 2021. The Company will continue to plan for multiple fleet and capacity scenarios; however, the refreshed 737 MAX order book and predominantly owned 737-700 fleet is intended to provide a high degree of flexibility for the Company to manage fleet retirements, growth opportunities, and capital spending in a variety of economic environments. Additional information regarding the Company’s delivery schedule is included in the accompanying table.

¹	737 MAX 8 compared with the 737-800. MAX 7 is expected to produce comparable fuel efficiency improvement compared with the 737-700.
²	Measured as revenue ton miles per gallon from 2000 through 2019. A revenue ton mile is one ton of revenue traffic (passenger and cargo) transported one mile. See 2019 Southwest Airlines One Report for more information.
³	Net of progress payments made on undelivered MAX aircraft and previously agreed upon delivery credits provided by Boeing to the Company due to the settlement of 2020 estimated damages relating to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounding of the 737 MAX aircraft.

NEW 737 DELIVERY SCHEDULE

	The Boeing Company
	MAX 7	MAX 8	MAX 7 or 8	Additional
	Firm Orders	Firm Orders	Options	MAX 8s	Total
2021	–	19	–	9	28
2022	30	–	42	–	72
2023	30	–	38	–	68
2024	30	–	40	–	70
2025	30	–	40	–	70
2026	15	15	40	–	70
2027	15	15	30	–	60
2028	15	15	30	–	60
2029	20	30	10	–	60
2030	15	45	–	–	60
2031	–	10	–	–	10
	200	149	270	9	628

New 737 Delivery Schedule footnotes:

The Company has flexibility to designate firm orders or options as MAX 7 or MAX 8, upon written advance notification as stated in the contract.
The 9 additional MAX 8 aircraft shown above are leases to be acquired from various third parties. The Company also received 7 leased MAX 8 aircraft in fourth quarter 2020, for a total of 16 MAX 8 operating leased aircraft from third parties in 2020 and 2021, combined.

PREVIOUS 737 DELIVERY SCHEDULE

	The Boeing Company
	MAX 7	MAX 8	MAX 8	Additional
	Firm Orders	Firm Orders	Options	MAX 8s	Total
2021	7	100	–	9	116
2022	–	27	14	–	41
2023	12	22	23	–	57
2024	11	30	23	–	64
2025	–	40	36	–	76
2026	–	–	19	–	19
	30	219	115	9	373

Previous 737 Delivery Schedule footnote:

The ‘Previous 737 Delivery Schedule’ shown above is for reference and comparative purposes only. It should no longer be relied upon. See ‘New 737 Delivery Schedule’ for the Company’s current aircraft order book.

Gol to acquire regional carrier MAP Linhas Aéreos

GOL Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes S.A. has announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire MAP Transportes Aéreos Ltda. (MAP Linhas Aéreos), a Brazilian domestic airline with flight routes to regional destinations and São Paulo’s Congonhas Airport.

The acquisition reflects the Company’s on-going commitment to expanding the demand for passenger air transportation in Brazil and what its Management perceives to be an unparalleled market opportunity for rational consolidation in the Brazilian aviation market, as the country’s economy recovers from Covid-19.

Photo: Wikipedia.

Founded in 2011, MAP is the fifth-largest Brazilian domestic airline, with a fleet of seven 70-seat ATR 72s that operate on routes in the Amazon region from the Manaus Airport and Brazil’s South and Southeast regions from Congonhas, the country’s largest domestic airport. The realization of this Transaction will reinforce GOL’s leading positioning in two of of its main bases, with growth of approximately 10% at CGH via the addition of 26 daily flights. Thus, the Company will be able to serve new destinations connecting South America’s largest city to historically underserved domestic markets, as the restrictions resulting from the pandemic are reduced or eliminated.

GOL sees three core benefits of the Transaction:

Expansion of New Routes. The Company intends to offer new destinations and routes, complementary to its current network at Congonhas Airport, that will provide a wider range of flight options for passengers and greater convenience for Clients.

“We believe the GOL network is the most attractive option in Brazil for both business and leisure Clients in terms of the cost, service and availability of flights,” said Edu Bernardes, Vice-president of Sales and Marketing.
Offering Higher Seat Density to Historically Underserved Markets. In addition to expanding to new routes, the Company will provide a substantially higher number of seats per flight than currently available by MAP to these markets. The ATRs will be substituted for larger and more efficient aircraft, giving continuity to GOL’s regional strategy, that today operates on 23 Boeing 737-700s – a model that can be substituted with even more efficient aircraft in the future.

“By servicing these routes with more modern and larger aircraft, the Company will increase the number of flights and seats from one of the main markets in the country,” said Celso Ferrer, Vice-president of Operations.
Enhancing Cost-Efficient Operations. With unit costs among the lowest in the world, GOL will offer greater efficiency in Congonhas with these new operations. These lower costs enable the Company to offer more competitive ticket prices than any competitor in Brazil to markets typically serviced by competitors with smaller and less efficient aircraft, providing benefits of scale from GOL’s operations.

“The Transaction is another example that the Company is ready to resume its sustainable growth and investment in Brazilian air transportation, supported by substantially lower operating costs than the competition,” added Richard Lark, CFO.

Transaction Terms and Conditions. MAP will be acquired for R$28 million in cash and stock, to be paid upon satisfaction of all closing conditions, comprised of 100,000 GOLL4 shares at R$28 per share and R$25 million in cash to be paid in twenty-four monthly installments. At closing, the Company will assume up to R$100 million of MAP’s financial obligations. The Transaction closing is subject to certain conditions precedent, including approvals and confirmations by Brazil’s National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC) and by Brazil’s Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE).