RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – After 21 months, finally Gol Linhas Aéreas returns to operate in Argentina connecting with Florianópolis (FLN), São Paulo (GRU) and Rio de Janeiro (GIG).
At 07:38 am, flight G3 7692 landed at Aeroparque Jorge Newbery, coming from Florianópolis (FLN), in a Boeing 737-800 with registration PR-GTB. At 12:45 pm, it will do the same from Rio de Janeiro (GIG), and at 1:00 pm, the first flight from Sao Paulo (GRU).
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Prior to the pandemic, GOL was one of the main operators of flights between Brazil and Argentina, one of the main regional markets in Latin America. The company had a significant presence between the two countries, flying from Brasilia (BSB), Florianópolis (FLN), Fortaleza (FOR), Joao Pessoa (JPZ), Maceió (MCZ), Natal (NAT), Recife (REC), Rio de Janeiro (GIG), Salvador Bahia (SSA), São Paulo (GRU) to Buenos Aires/Ezeiza (EZE). It also operated between Cordoba (COR) – Rio de Janeiro (GIG); Rosario (ROS) – Rio de Janeiro (GIG); Mendoza (MDZ) – Sao Paulo (GRU) and, in season, to Bariloche (BRC) from Sao Paulo (GRU).
According to data obtained by Aviacionline through Cirium, the Brazilian airline accounted for 27% of operations between both countries by having 750 average flights per month in 2019. ANAC Argentina reported that it mobilized more than 1,086,000 passengers annually with an average occupancy rate of 79%. It was the third most crucial airline in Argentina, representing 8% of the international market share.
However, the return of GOL was involved in several conflicts. During the official announcement of its restart, the company’s Argentinean staff received a layoff notice. Most of these personnel worked in customer service and were replaced by an outsourced company, and the call center service ceased to operate.
Given this situation, several users had difficulties to be rescheduled once the company’s return was known. In addition to the fact that GOL only resumes with 140 flights per month, a reduction of 81% compared to 2019, there is not much room for passengers to reschedule.
GOL has a partnership with Aerolineas Argentinas, benefiting Cordoba, Rosario, Mendoza, and Bariloche to endorse tickets through the Argentine company via Aeroparque. On the other hand, users who purchased through travel agencies found it more challenging to have a favorable resolution.
After reopening the borders, Argentina once again had flights from British Airways, Air Canada, Cubana de Aviación, and Conviasa, and SKY Airline Peru joined the recovery of international services.
For GOL, this is the fourth international destination to restart after having reopened Montevideo (MVD) in Uruguay; Punta Cana (PUJ) in the Dominican Republic, and Cancun (CUN) in Mexico. They will be followed by Miami (MIA) and Orlando (MCO) in the United States in May 2022.