Airlines plan to resume flights after U.S. officially reopens to vaccinated Brazilians

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – On Thursday, October 15, the White House announced the end of restrictions on the entry of most foreigners, including Brazilians, starting November 8.

The barrier had been in force due to the worsening of the Covid-19 pandemic in North America, which ranks first in the number of deaths from the disease worldwide.

In addition to proving complete immunization against the coronavirus with one of the vaccines approved by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) or the WHO (World Health Organization), travelers will be required to show a negative test for Covid-19 taken within 3 days before boarding.

For airlines, the United States represents an important market. Destinations like Miami, Orlando and New York are the most attractive to Brazilians, according to the companies.

Gol says it plans to resume flights to the United States. The company said that the best dates are expected “from the second half of 2022.”

The company also said that it is unable to disclose the number of flights per week as “the operations are still being planned.”

Before the pandemic, the airline had flights to the United States from Manaus, with weekly takeoffs to Orlando; and from Brasilia, with weekly flights to Miami.

“The company intends to restart its offer of flights to the United States with operations to Miami and Orlando,” it added. “It is possible to anticipate that flights will initially depart from the Brasilia hub.”

Azul said it was seeking new information about its operations to North American destinations. With 5 weekly flights to the U.S., the company had said it was “ready to increase its offer of flights.” In July this year, Azul promoted an initiative to sell 600 tickets at promotional prices so customers could use them on the first flights after the U.S. border reopened to Brazilians.

Chile-based LATAM Airlines was asked about its plan for operations between Brazil and the U.S., but the company did not reply. The airline had said it was prepared to also increase its flights between the 2 countries “as soon as the reopening became official.”

Currently, LATAM operates 3 weekly flights on the Guarulhos-New York route and another 3, also weekly, between Guarulhos (SP) and Miami. In all, the company says it has resumed flights from Brazil to 14 international destinations – before the pandemic it was 26.

VISAS

The U.S. Embassy in Brazil has not yet provided details on when interviews will be resumed for Brazilians requesting visas to enter the country. In a note, the American embassy said it was still “awaiting instructions from Washington on the announcement.”

Moreover, clarification is still lacking on the health rules to be imposed on adolescents and children. Friday’s announcement by the White House only cited measures for adults.

In addition to the embassy in Brasilia, the United States has consulates in the cities of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, Porto Alegre, and Recife.