MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Aerolíneas Argentinas, GOL announce SAO-BUE air shuttle

Sao Paulo's Guarulhos is consolidating as the region's main airport with new flights added almost every week

Argentina's flag carrier Aerolíneas Argentinas and Brazil's GOL have announced a Buenos Aires-São Paulo air shuttle between Aeroparque Jorge Newbery and Guarulhos, in addition to increasing their codeshare operations linking the two countries, starting in August.

Joint services between the two airlines have been operational since 2014, linking 30 cities in Brazil with Buenos Aires, Córdoba, Rosario, and Mendoza.

“GOL and Aerolíneas Argentinas have built, in recent years, a solid relationship through code-sharing that benefits Brazilian and Argentine travelers, with a wide connection in both Guarulhos and Buenos Aires,” commented Randall Saenz Agüero, GOL's Director of Alliances, during the PANROTAS 2022 Forum.

“At a time when our international routes are being resumed, having an air shuttle between São Paulo and the Argentine capital is a source of great satisfaction,” he added.

Fabián Lombardo, commercial director of Aerolíneas Argentinas, explained that “this air shuttle gives an extra boost to connectivity between Argentina and Brazil,” because “it offers more and better possibilities and consolidates the relationship we have with GOL.”

The Brazilian market accounts for 35% of Argentina's inbound tourism. In 2019, the last year before the pandemic, more than 3.8 million passengers were carried, according to data from the National Civil Aviation Administration (ANAC).

Aerolíneas Argentinas has strengthened its route network and plans to launch operations to Brazil from eight domestic destinations, namely Bariloche, San Martín de Los Andes, El Calafate, Ushuaia, Córdoba, Salta, Tucumán and Mendoza, in some cases with more than one daily flight for a total of 46 weekly flights performed by Boeing 737-800 aircraft with a monthly capacity of 109,000 seats.

After the regionalization of Aeroparque, the company also seeks to promote the arrival of tourists from Brazil, Paraguay, Chile, and Uruguay.

Meanwhile, Colomb ian budget carrier Viva has started its nonstop services between its main hub in Medellín and São Paulo, the first flight landing at Guarulhos Wednesday on an Airbus A320neo aircraft with a 188-seat single-class configuration. Last week, Viva had started direct services between Medellín and Buenos Aires.

The company also serves Cancun, Mexico City, Lima, Miami, Orlando, and Punta Cana.