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  Aerolíneas Argentinas

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  AR/ARG

  Airline Type:

  Full Service Carrier

  Hub(s):

  Ezeiza International Airport, Aeroparque Jorge Newbery

  Year Founded:

  1949

  Alliance:

  SkyTeam

  CEO:

  Pablo Ceriani

  Country:

  Argentina

  Region:

  South America

The carriers GOL Linhas Aéreas and Aerolíneas Argentinas, codeshare partners, will offer their passengers, as of August, eight daily flights between São Paulo's Guarulhos International Airport (GRU) and Aeroparque (AEP), one of Buenos Aires' two main airports. They will also launch an air bridge in this market.

The air bridge

GOL and Aerolíneas Argentinas are looking to deepen their partnership by increasing the daily connectivity between Brazil and Argentina. Between the two they currently operate ten routes serving seveal cities including Brazilian destinations such as Brasília, Curitiba, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Porto Alegre, Salvador, and Florianópolis, and Argentinian destinations such as Buenos Aires and Mendoza. Additionally, as of the last quarter of 2022, the passengers of both airlines will have a new product to facilitate travel, regardless of which company they choose.

In a statement, GOL and Aerolíneas Argentinas announced the launch of an air bridge between the two airports. According to the companies, this air bridge “will guarantee, among other advantages, the flexibility to change flights on the same day of the trip at no additional cost.”

Randall Saenz Agüero, GOL’s Director of Alliances, said,

"GOL and Aerolíneas Argentinas have built over the past years a solid codeshare partnership that benefits Brazilian and Argentine travelers with companies' extensive connections in both Guarulhos and Buenos Aires. With this announcement, this partnership gains more strength with the service that expands the possibilities and comfort of customers who choose to fly with us. At a time of resumption of our international routes, having an air bridge between São Paulo and the Argentine capital is a source of great satisfaction for us."

Fabián Lombardo, Commercial Director (CCO) of Argentina’s State carrier, added that this air bridge boosts the connectivity between both countries. It will offer more and better possibilities to passengers, consolidating the partnership with GOL. He added,

“For Aerolíneas Argentinas, the Brazilian market is central to our commercial strategy; therefore, much of the work we have been doing is focused on having a varied and robust offer.”

Brazil’s importance for Argentinian tourism

Argentina’s main source of international tourism revenue comes from Brazil. Following the border closure due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, both countries have been eager to regain their pre-pandemic traffic levels, although there’s much to recover still.

Employing data by Cirium, currently, there are about 123 weekly services from Argentina and Brazil, with 23,739 seats available. Both numbers are 46.3% and 44.5% below pre-pandemic levels.

For instance, Aerolíneas Argentinas is currently operating 47 weekly flights to Brazil versus 68 in June 2019, and GOL is offering 25 weekly flights versus 73 two years ago.

Nonetheless, these carriers have been adding routes and capacity in the last few months.

Recently Fabián Lombardo said the Brazilian market is the most important for Aerolíneas Argentinas. By increasing its connectivity from 47 weekly flights to 63 by July, the airline aims at recovering traffic in both the corporate and tourism segments. “These flights symbolize our idea of building bridges, in this case by air, uniting, generating links, and deepening the relationship with Brazil,” he added.

Every month around 80,000 Brazilians visit Brazil by flying onboard Aerolíneas Argentinas, according to Eduardo de Pedro, an Argentine politician.

GOL’s international connectivity

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, GOL Linhas Aéreas has been recovering its international connectivity slowly.

According to data by Cirium, the Brazilian airline is currently operating around 52 international flights per week, with 9,576 seats available. In June 2019, the airline had 145 weekly international flights and 26,250 seats, meaning there’s a lot of ground to cover before the airline fully rebounds internationally.

Domestically, though, GOL has already rebounded. Despite not having the same amount of passengers as in 2019, GOL posted a US$527 net income during the first quarter, fueled by a two-digit increase in sales compared to pre-pandemic levels.

What do you think about these two airlines setting up an air bridge between Argentina and Brazil? Let us know in the comments below.

Data: Cirium.