Tag Archives: Sao Paulo

Delta to offer year-round flights to Zurich and expanded service to Rome

Delta Air Lines (Atlanta) will offer new year-round daily service from John F. Kennedy International Airport to Zurich Airport and expanded service to Rome’s Leonardo Da Vinci International Airport.

The Zurich flight will be operated using a Boeing 767-300 ER aircraft featuring full flat-bed seats with direct aisle access in the BusinessElite cabin. Daily Zurich service will begin effective June 16, 2014 and during the summer will complement the airline’s existing service from Atlanta. Rome service will operate daily from April to October on an Airbus A330-300 aircraft, and then five times per week in November, December and March on a Boeing 767-300 ER aircraft in conjunction with Delta joint venture partner Alitalia.

Effective this winter, Delta and its joint venture partners Air France-KLM and Alitalia are also expanding service to key European hubs at Paris Charles De Gaulle International Airport and Amsterdam Schiphol International Airport from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. From Atlanta, the joint venture will offer additional daily nonstop service for a total of four daily flights to both Amsterdam* and Paris, timed to provide customers with more connecting opportunities to destinations throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Copyright Photo: Rodrigo Cozzato/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 767-332 ER N175DZ (msn 29696) in the SkyTeam motif arrives at Sao Paulo (Guarulhos).

Delta Air Lines (current):

Bottom Copyright Photo: Delta Air Lines. A picture of the cabin of Delta’s first refurbished trans-con Boeing 757-200. Routes from JFK will offer BusinessElite® flat-beds, LED mood lighting, expanded Economy Comfort™ seating & larger In-flight Entertainment screens.

Beginning July 1, 2014, Delta will operate three updated Boeing 757-200 aircraft with full flat-bed seats on the trans-continental route between New York (JFK) and Los Angeles (LAX). These will be the first 757 aircraft in service to feature Delta’s previously announced upgrades including full flat-bed seats in BusinessElite on transcon flights between JFK and LAX, SFO and SEA. All trans-con flights on these routes will feature full flat-bed seats by summer 2015.

TAM Airlines is coming to Canada

TAM Airlines (TAM Linhas Aereas) (Sao Paulo) has been granted authority by the Agencia Nacional de Aviacio Civil (ANAC) of Brazil seven weekly frequencies for conducting mixed air services between Canada and Brazil.

The route is unspecified but it is most likely Sao Paulo-Toronto in competition with Air Canada.

Copyright Photo: Wingnut/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A330-203 PT-MVK (msn 486) of TAM taxies across the tarmac at London’s Heathrow Airport.

TAM Aircraft Slide Show: CLICK HERE

David Neeleman to bring Azul to the United States with Airbus A330-200s and new A350-900s

Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras S. A. (Azul Brazilian Airlines) (Sao Paulo), founded by David Neeleman of JetBlue Airways (New York) and Morris Air (Salt Lake City), is coming back to the United States (in a way).

The fast growing airline has ordered a new fleet of Airbus A330-200 and A350-900 aircraft for daily service
to and from United States gateways.

Azul expects to debut its first international flights by early 2015. The U.S. flights will be served from Azul’s brand new $1.5 billion terminal at Sao Paulo (Campinas), strategically located 50 minutes from downtown Sao Paulo.

Campinas is Brazil’s largest airline hub offering connections to 104 domestic cities. Azul’s U.S. gateways will be announced later this year.

Routes from Campinas Airport:

Azul will operate the new international routes with a fleet of 11 wide-body Airbus aircraft. The airline has ordered five Airbus A350-900 with deliveries beginning in early 2017. In addition, six Airbus A330-200 will be used to launch service in early 2015. The new aircraft will be leased from ILFC and will be equipped with Rolls-Royce engines. Azul’s fleet currently comprises of 80 Embraer and 56 ATR aircraft.

With less than six years of operations, Azul already has flown more than 85 million customers and changed the face of air travel in the Brazilian market since its first flight, on December 15, 2008.

The foundation of the airline was built around the Brazilian made Embraer E-jet. From that foundation, Azul has expanded to 880 daily flights, which represents one-third of Brazil’s daily departures. The airline currently operates a fleet of 136 aircraft and employs more than 10.000 people.

Azul:

Will Air France-KLM ditch their freighter fleet?

Air France (Paris) and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (Amsterdam) may leave the dedicated air freighter business after five decades according to Bloomberg Businessweek. The freighter division has been beset by losses in cargo that rose to nearly $300 million last year according to the report.

The airline’s board is weighing options and plans to decide on a strategy by September, according to a report in Bloomberg News.

Read the full report: CLICK HERE

Copyright Photo: Marcelo F. De Biasi/AirlinersGallery.com. Air France is phasing out its Boeing 747-400 ER freighter fleet with the last to be retired next year. Boeing 747-428 ERF F-GIUA (msn 32866) arrives in Sao Paulo (Guarulhos).

Air France:

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):

LATAM swings to a net profit of $52 million in the third quarter

LATAM Airlines Group (LAN Airlines and TAM Linhas Aereas) (Santiago and Sao Paulo) swung to the black in the third quarter with a net profit of $52 million versus a loss of $49 million a year ago for the same period.

Read the full report: CLICK HERE

Read the analysis by Reuters: CLICK HERE

Copyright Photo: Rodrigo Cozzato/AirlinersGallery/com. LAN Cargo’s (LAN Airlines Chile) Boeing 777-F16 N778LA (msn 41518) departs from Viracopos Airport near Sao Paulo.

LAN Airlines:

TAM Linhas Aereas:

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: