Tag Archives: Guarulhos

Gol receives permission to operate flights from Campinas to Miami via Santo Domingo

Gol Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes S.A. (Gol Transportes Aereos) (Sao Paulo) has received authorization from the National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC) and other pertinent authorities to operate regular flights between Campinas (SP-Brazil) and Rio de Janeiro (Santos Dumont airport). Additionally, Gol announces it has received the approval to start flights from Campinas to Miami. The flight will have a connection in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, where the passenger has also the option to fly to Orlando. Operations will begin on July 18, 2014.

Campinas (SP) – Rio de Janeiro, Santos Dumont Airport (RJ)

There will be 12 flights per day between Campinas (SP-Brazil) and Rio de Janeiro (Santos Dumont Airport).

Campinas (SP) – Miami

The new flights between Campinas (SP-Brazil) and Miami via Santo Domingo, with the option to fly also to Orlando, will take place, initially, three times per week, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.

In other news, Gol has announced that it has signed a contract to implement a codeshare and frequent flyer program agreement with TAP Portugal (Lisbon). The agreement will be submitted for the authorization of Portugal and Brazil’s governments, and is still pending the approval of Brazil’s National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC) and Antitrust Authority (CADE).

Initially, the agreement will allow TAP Portugal, with more than 74 weekly flights from Portugal to Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Campinas, Belo Horizonte, Brasilia, Porto Alegre, Salvador, Natal, Fortaleza and Recife, to include its codes on Gol’s flights, enabling connections to other Brazilian destinations.

Copyright Photo: Rodrigo Cozzato/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 737-8EH PR-GTE (msn 34278) climbs gracefully Sao Paulo (Guarulhos).

Gol:

Gol wants to fly from Campinas, Brazil to Miami via Santo Domingo, posts a loss in the 4Q and 2013

Gol Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes S.A. (Gol Transportes Aereos) (Sao Paulo) has submitted to the Brazilian Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC) a formal request to operate regular flights between Campinas (the home of Azul Linhas Aereas) and Miami, with one stop service stopping in Santo Domingo. The request was made for operations on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, using Boeing 737 Next Generation aircraft. The airline would like to start this operation by the end of July, pending ANAC’s approval.

On the financial side, the airline announced its consolidated results for the fourth quarter and full year of 2013. The company reported a net loss in the fourth of $8.5 million and a full year net loss of $217 million for 2013. This was an improvement from the previous year but below expectations.

Read the full report: CLICK HERE

Read the analysis by Zacks: CLICK HERE

Copyright Photo: Rodrigo Cozzato/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 737-8EH PR-GXB (msn 39615) with the promotional Gol + marking arrives at the Sao Paul (Guarulhos) hub.

Gol:

Avianca Brazil is invited to join the Star Alliance, replacing TAM Airlines

Avianca Brazil (OceanAir Linhas Aereas dba) (Sao Paulo) has been invited to join the Star Alliance as part of Avianca (Bogota) membership. On December 13, the Chief Executive Board of Star Alliance agreed to extend Avianca’s membership of the Alliance to include its partner Avianca Brazil. The unanimous decision marks the first step in Star Alliance’s strategy to secure its position in the Brazilian market following current member airline TAM’s decision to leave the Alliance as a consequence of its merger with LAN.

As a first step in the integration process, experts from Avianca Brazil, the Star Alliance member carriers serving Brazil and Star Alliance management will jointly work on enhancing Avianca Brazil’s network. The aim is to facilitate seamless connections via the major hubs in São Paulo – Guarulhos and Rio de Janeiro – Galeão/Antônio Carlos Jobim.

Avianca Brazil is expected to join the alliance in 2014.

Top Copyright Photo: Rodrigo Cozzato/AirlinersGallery.com. Avianca Brazil’s Airbus A318-121 PR-ONG (msn 3438) departs from Sao Paulo (Guarulhos). Bottom Copyright Photo: Avianca Brazil.

Avianca (Brazil):

Boeing and Gol to work on a sustainable biofuel in Brazil

Boeing (Chicago) and Gol Linhas Aereas Inteligentes S.A. (Gol Transportes Aereos) (Sao Paulo) will work together to speed the research, development and approval of new sources of sustainable aviation biofuel in Brazil. Their collaboration will support Gol’s plans to use this lower-carbon jet fuel on more flights during upcoming major sporting events and also will benefit long-term development of a new sustainable aviation biofuel industry in Brazil.

Paulo Sergio Kakinoff, chief executive officer of Gol, and Van Rex Gallard, vice president of Sales for Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, Boeing Commercial Airplanes, signed a memorandum of understanding for biofuel collaboration at the Latin America and Caribbean Air Transport Association (ALTA) Airline Leaders Forum 2013.

Gol plans to use sustainable biojetfuel on 200 flights during the major sporting event in Brazil in 2014 and to incorporate biofuel into 20 percent of its flights during the major sporting event taking place in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. Boeing will work with Gol to identify and select the most promising feedstocks and refining technologies and then will play a leading role in the approval process for new fuel pathways to ensure the fuel meets safety and performance standards.

The agreement between Boeing and Gol is a significant new step in efforts to advance an aviation biofuel industry in Brazil. On October 23, Brazil’s Aviator’s Day, Gol conducted Brazil’s first commercial biofuel flight in a Boeing 737-800 powered in part by sustainable aviation biofuel made from waste cooking oil and blended by Petrobras, with support from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). Following the flight, aviation industry stakeholders including Gol and Boeing, as well as Brazilian officials and research institutions, announced a national effort called the Brazilian Biojetfuel Platform to establish a sustainable biojetfuel industry with research and development in several regions of the country. If the Platform is successful, Brazil, which has already established a biofuel industry could be the first nation to establish a sustainable aviation biofuel industry from biomass production to flight.

Copyright Photo: Rodrigo Cozzato/AirlinersGallery.com. Gol’s Boeing 737-809 PR-GIT (msn 28403) in the striking Smiles special livery departs from Sao Paulo (Guarulhos).

Gol:

TAP Portugal to fly to Manaus and Belem

TAP Portugal (Lisbon) has announced the start of operations to Manaus and Belem, both cities in Northern Brazil, as of the beginning of June 2014. With the addition of these new destinations to its network, the company increases to 12 the number of gateways operated in Brazil and further strengthens its positioning as the world’s leading airline in operation to that key market in South America.

The operation is to be launched with three weekly frequencies – on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays – and flights will operate the route Lisbon – Manaus – Belem – Lisbon, thereby allowing TAP to enter for the first time into Northern Brazil, a region with great potential for tourism and where the offer of international flights is still very scarce.

Out of Portugal, flights will depart TAP Lisbon hub at 0930 and arrive in Manaus at 1340. After one hour turn-round time flights go on to Belem arriving there at 1740. At 1910 return flights depart Belem with arrival in Lisbon at 0645 (following day).

Manaus currently has a population of 2.3 million people and is the capital city of the State of Amazonas, which in the whole has a population of 3.6 million people. As the main gateway into Amazonia, Manaus is also a fast growing region in Brazil.

Belem is the capital city of the State of Para, with a population of 7.8 million people, of which 2.25 million in Belem only. The city is an important eco-tourism destination and a gateway into Amazonia as well.

Currently, neither Manaus nor Belem have direct flights to Europe in operation. Thus, the launch of TAP direct flights to those cities, that are the gateway into North Brazil, represent quite a significant step forward. From June 2014 onwards, customers will be provided with the most convenient and fastest connections to Lisbon and many other destinations beyond across the company’s European network.

Currently, TAP operates direct flights to 10 gateways in Brazil: Fortaleza; Natal; Recife; Salvador; Brasilia; Belo Horizonte; Rio de Janeiro; Sao Paulo; Campinas and Porto Alegre, adding in the whole to 74 weekly frequencies operated in average. With the introduction of Manaus and Belem as new destinations, TAP will from now on cover all regions in the country, considerably reinforcing the reach of its network in Brazil.

Copyright Photo: Marcelo F. De Biasi/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A330-223 CS-TOK (msn 317) prepares to land at Sao Paulo (Guarulhos).

TAP Portugal:

LATAM Airlines Group loses $330 million in the 2Q

LATAM Airlines Group (LAN Airlines and TAM Linhas Aereas) (Santago and Sao Paulo) reported it lost $330 million in the second quarter. The group was created last year with the merger of the two airlines. The group is struggling in Brazil with TAM due to a weakening Brazilian economy. TAM is cutting costs and reducing flights.

Read the full report: CLICK HERE

LATAM Airlines Group Fleet Plans (excerpt from the report):

Top Copyright Photo: Rodrigo Cozzato/AirlinersGallery.com. Sporting new Sharklets, Airbus A320-214 PR-MYY (msn 5591) taxies at the Sao Paulo (Guarulhos) hub.

LAN Airlines (Chile):

TAM Linhas Aereas:

Bottom Copyright Photo: Alvaro Romero/ModoCharlie.com. Boeing 777-F6N N772LA (msn 37708) arrives at the Santiago hub.

Gol reduces its losses in the second quarter to almost $191 million

Gol Linhas Aereas Inteligentes S.A. (Gol Transportes Aereos) (Sao Paulo) issued the following financial information for the second quarter where it reduced its loss to $190.7 million.

recorded an operating loss (EBIT) of R$35 million in 2Q13 resulting in a negative margin of 1.8%, an improvement of R$320 million and 18 percentage points over 2Q12. In the first half, GOL recorded a positive operating margin of 1.7%, in line with the margin projected for 2013, of between 1% and 3%.
PRASK (passenger revenue per available seat-kilometer) totaled R$14.14 cents in 2Q13, 10.5% up on 2Q12. This performance fueled the 7.5% year-over-year upturn in RASK (operating revenue per available seat-kilometer), which came to R$15.72 cents in 2Q13. The continuous monthly increase in PRASK since April 2012 reflects the Company’s efforts in optimizing its offer and maximizing the profitability of its routes.
CASK (operating cost per available seat-kilometer) totaled R$16.01 cents in the second quarter, 8.4% down on the same period last year. Fuel costs per ASK fell by 8.8%, primarily due to the 3.4% decline in the per-liter fuel price and the use of a more fuel-efficient fleet. CASK ex-fuel fell by 8% in the same period, chiefly impacted by the reduction in personnel costs.
SMILES’ IPO during the quarter meant that the Company ended 2Q13 with its biggest ever quarterly cash position (cash, cash equivalents, financial investments and short and long-term restricted cash), totaling R$2.8 billion, equivalent to 34% of net revenue of the last 12 months (LTM).

Read the analysis by the Wall Street Journal: CLICK HERE

Copyright Photo: Rodrigo Cozzato/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 737-8EH WL PR-GUM (msn 35846) in the new CBF – Transportadora Oficial de Selecao Brasileira livery taxies past the camera in Sao Paulo (Guarulhos).

Gol Transportes Aereos:

American launches codeshare agreement with LAN Colombia, creditors and shareholders tentatively approve the merger with US Airways

American Airlines (Dallas/Fort Worth) has announced the launch of a new codeshare agreement with LAN Colombia (Bogota), adding new service to key destinations in Colombia and further strengthening American’s relationship with LATAM Airlines Group. Customers can begin booking travel on the codeshare flights for travel beginning August 8.

The new codeshare agreement will give American’s customers seamless connecting service within Colombia and provide LAN Colombia’s customers access to new destinations in the United States. The two airlines will codeshare on flights between the U.S. and Colombia and provide American’s customers access to four new destinations in Colombia – Barranquilla, Bucaramanga, Cartagena and Pereira, while giving LAN Colombia’s customers access to 12 new cities in the U.S. from Miami, including Chicago (O’Hare), Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles and New York (JFK).

In addition, LAN Colombia plans to join the oneworld^® alliance in the fourth quarter of this year. LAN Colombia operates more than 990 weekly flights to cities throughout Colombia as well as destinations in Brazil and the U.S. From its Bogota hub, LAN Colombia offers 125 daily flights, including service to 20 Colombian cities.

In addition to the codeshare agreement with LAN Colombia, later this year American will launch new service from Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) to Bogota (BOG), demonstrating its mission to provide customers with expanded options through a growing network footprint in Latin America. American currently operates up to 35 weekly flights from its hub in Miami to Bogota (BOG), Cali (CLO) and Medellin (MDE).

In others news, AMR Corporation, the parent company of American Airlines, Inc., announced the preliminary voting results on the Company’s Plan of Reorganization, which indicate overwhelming acceptance of the Plan by those creditors and shareholders entitled to vote.

Of the eight creditor classes entitled to vote, at least 88 percent of the ballots received and tabulated in each class, representing more than 97 percent of the claims value voting in each class, were voted in favor of the Plan. Additionally, more than 99 percent of the shares tabulated for the class of AMR stockholders voted to accept the Plan.

The final voting results for the Plan will be certified and filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York in advance of the confirmation hearing on August 15, 2013.

On June 7, 2013, the Court authorized the company to begin soliciting approval of the Plan from AMR’s creditors and stockholders. Voting on the Plan ended July 29, 2013 at 5 p.m. EDT.

The effective date of the Plan and American’s Chapter 11 emergence are expected to occur simultaneously with the closing of the merger with US Airways. The merger is expected to close in the third quarter of 2013.

Top Copyright Photo: Nick Dean/AirlinersGallery.com. Brand new Boeing 777-323 ER N725AN (msn 41666) was handed over to American Airlines on July 31, 2013.

American Airlines:

LAN Colombia:

Bottom Copyright Photo: Bernardo Andrade/AirlinersGallery.com. Former AIRES Colombia Boeing 737-73S EI-EEB (msn 29081) of LAN Colombia taxies past the camera at Sao Paulo (Guarulhos).

Copa Airlines is coming to Tampa

Copa Airlines (Panama City), a subsidiary of Copa Holdings, S.A., today announced it will begin nonstop service four times a week from Panama City, Panama to Tampa, Florida, starting on December 16, 2013. Tampa will be Copa Airlines’ ninth U.S. destination and its 66^th destination overall.

Copa will operate a Boeing 737-700 Next Generation with 12 business class seats and 112 economy seats on the flights to Panama. The flight will depart Panama on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays at 6:34 p.m. (1834), arriving in Tampa at 9:53 p.m. (2153). The return flight will depart Tampa at 7:02 a.m. (0702) on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, arriving at Copa’s Hub of the Americas in Panama at 10:12 a.m. (1012).

From its Hub of the Americas in Panama, Copa offers flights to more international destinations than any other airline from any other hub in the Latin American region. In-transit passengers making connections do not have immigration/customs waits and baggage is checked to the final destination.

Copyright Photo: Marcelo F. De Biasi/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 737-7V3 WL HP-1521CMP (msn 33708) departs from Sao Paulo (Guarulhos).

Copa Airlines:

AeroMexico avoids a strike today by its flight attendants

AeroMexico (Mexico City) today (June 1) avoided a strike by its flight attendants. According to Reuters, the ASSA union, which represents approximately 1,300 light attendants, had threatened a strike at midnight if it did not get a 5 percent salary increase.

The airline offered a 4.7 percent increase and the union agreed to the proposal averting a strike.

Read the full report: CLICK HERE

In other news, the airline is planning to introduce its first Boeing 787 on October 1, 2013 from Mexico City to Moterrey according to Airline Route.

Copyright Photo: Marcelo F. De Biasi/AirlinersGalley.com. Boeing 777-2Q8 ER N774AM (msn 28689) climbs away from Sao Paulo (Guarulhos) bound for the Mexico City hub.

AeroMexico: