GOL Applies for US Traffic Rights

Brazilian low-cost carrier GOL Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes has made a formal request to the Brazilian Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC) to operate regular flights between Brazil, Venezuela and the United States. The airline says this proposed expansion is based “on the results of internal feasibility studies”. It is seeking to offer a five times weekly link between São Paulo Guarulhos International Airport and Miami International, via Simon Bolivar International Airport in the Venezuelan capital Caracas.

Earlier this month the airline, the largest budget carrier in Latin America, revealed it had opened a consultation with ANAC about the potential to offer up to 14 weekly flights to the US and up to seven to Venezuela. American Airlines and TAM Airlines already provide direct services between São Paulo and Miami; TAM also serves Caracas from the Brazilian city, while American Airlines, LAN Airlines and Santa Barbara Airlines fly between Caracas and Miami.

An estimated 510,000 O&D passengers flew between São Paulo Guarulhos and Miami International in 2011, up 29.7 per cent on the previous year. The individual legs of GOL’s proposed new flight also have relatively strong traffic demand. An estimated 85,000 O&D passengers flew between São Paulo Guarulhos and Caracas last year, up 24.3 per cent on the previous year. GOL already offers a daily service on this route and has seen its share of the market grow by around a fifth to 49 per cent. The Caracas – Miami route, currently served more than 40 times weekly, generated around 687,000 O&D passengers in 2011, up 24.2 per cent on 2010.

GOL currently offers around 900 daily flights to 63 destinations in Brazil and 13 more in South America and the Caribbean under the GOL and VARIG brands, using a fleet exclusively made up of Next-Generation Boeing 737 variants. It says the proposed international expansion into Venezuela and the US will not result in any changes to its fleet with the services expected to be operated using 737-800 equipment.