JetSMART to expand flights to Brazil from Argentina and Chile

This Wednesday, the Brazilian Ministry of Tourism (MTur) signed an agreement to expand routes connecting Brazil with Chile and Argentina.

The meeting was attended by the Minister of Tourism, Carlos Brito, and the president of Embratur, Sílvio Nascimento, as well as representatives of JetSmart, which on occasion announced the increase in flights to the two neighboring countries.

Before the pandemic, the country received 2.3 million Argentine and Chilean tourists, representing 37% of the tourists who arrived in Brazil in 2019. The idea is to receive more foreign travelers, increase connectivity between countries, disseminate Brazilian destinations, and promote regional income.

According to MTur, in November this year, the direct flight between Santiago (SCL) and Foz do Iguaçu (IGU) in Paraná state will be reactivated, which is available on the company’s website.

According to Aeroin, the official announcement of the launch is scheduled for September with the participation of the Ministry of Tourism, Embratur, and JetSmart.

Said link was inaugurated in January 2020 and suspended in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It briefly returned between December 2021 and April 2022, carrying 5,873 passengers.

Prior to the pandemic, JetSMART had flights from Santiago (SCL) to São Paulo/Guarulhos (GRU) and Salvador de Bahia (SSA), which remain suspended until now.

JETSMART ARGENTINA TO LAND IN BRAZIL

In addition to the flight between Chile and Brazil, the company’s representatives said they would start connecting Argentina with the South American giant as of December 2022, even though they have not disclosed the flights’ cities of origin and destination.

The Argentine subsidiary is carrying out an expansion plan before the southern hemisphere summer season, for which it will incorporate two Airbus A320ceo aircraft with a capacity for 186 passengers.

For the time being, both aircraft will help to increase frequencies to their key domestic destinations (Bariloche, Salta, Mendoza, and Ushuaia).

The landing in Brazil responds to a growing trend of Brazilian tourists choosing Argentina as a vacation destination due to the favorable exchange rate of the Argentine peso over the Brazilian Real.

According to ANAC Argentina, flights between Argentina and Brazil average around 87% operated by Aerolíneas Argentinas, GOL, LATAM, Flybondi, British Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, Swiss International Air Lines, Turkish Airlines, Air Canada, and, soon, Emirates.

During July 2022, the highest passenger flow due to the winter break, 221,107 travelers have been mobilized between both countries, accumulating 1,017,951 passengers this year, representing 25.64% of Argentina’s international traffic.

According to Cirium, by the end of the year, 61.4% of the supply of seats will be recovered, with Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro as the main routes, which will be operated by ten airlines.

Florianópolis and Salvador, two highly touristic destinations for Argentineans, will be connected to Buenos Aires by Aerolíneas Argentinas, GOL, and Flybondi.

A second plane would be the connections from Mendoza to São Paulo by GOL and LATAM and from Córdoba and Rosario to São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro with GOL. Also non-stop flights between Porto Alegre, Curitiba, and Brasilia to Buenos Aires with Aerolíneas Argentinas.

Finally, by the end of the year, flights from Buenos Aires to Fortaleza (FOR), Maceió (MCZ), Recife (REC), Natal (NAT), and João Pessoa (JPZ) will be resumed by GOL.

With information from Aviacionline