Brazilian low-cost carrier GOL Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes S.A. (G3) recently announced its preliminary traffic figures for April, and compared to 2022, and as reported by PR Newswire, it's looking good. The airline increased its capacity by 12.5%, with seat capacity rising by 18%.
A promising result
In 2022, the budget carrier increased the overall load factor from 78.2% to 78.9% last month. This is complemented by the 17,545 flights operated in April, representing more than three million seats, an immediate improvement of 18% compared to 2022.
Domestic operations are on the up, with a growth of 6%, and the carrier's international operations doubled compared to last year, now offering 135,000 seats to/from Brazil.
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As airlines rebound from the burdens of COVID-19, GOL appears to be recovering well, with ambitious plans to continue expansion. With demand increasing, the carrier reported an improvement of 19% overall for passengers onboard, representing 2.3 million passengers carried for April.
Record revenues and sales
As reported by Simple Flying in March, the carrier reported a solid fourth-quarter net profit in 2022. This reversed the subdued market throughout the pandemic and aided in the creation of a multi-billion-real loss in 2021.
During the final quarter of 2022, the carrier achieved a net operating revenue of 4.7 billion reais ($912 million), the highest net income in the company's history thus far. This result was complimented as the company reached the highest level of sales, achieved through solid demand in the carrier's SMILES program (GOL’s loyalty program) and November’s Black Friday sales, in which the airline surpassed its daily sales levels versus pre-pandemic trends.
During Q4 of 2022, GOL achieved strong demand for leisure flights as Brazil’s high season started to kick off. The carrier also extended its international reach, including additional flights between Brasília (BSB) and Orlando (MCO). Additionally, it inaugurated flights between Rio de Janeiro’s Galeao International (GIG) and Montevideo (MVD), Uruguay.
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A 144-strong fleet
As earlier reported, the carrier remains number one when it comes to domestic capacity in Brazil, and the carrier can maintain its operations with a strong fleet of 144 aircraft, which, as noted by ch-Aviation, includes:
- 19 x Boeing B737-700
- 38 x Boeing B737-8
- 83 x Boeing B737-800
- Four x B737-800(BCF)
To aid in the airline's growth, 92 aircraft are also on order:
- 25 x Boeing B737-10
- 67 x Boeing B737-8
The carrier operates the majority of services from six Brazilian airports, being Brasília (BSB), Salvador da Bahia (SSA), São Paulo–Guarulhos (GRU), Rio de Janeiro–Galeão (GIG), Rio de Janeiro–Santos Dumont (SDU), São Paulo–Congonhas (CGH), while maintaining up to 83 destinations within its current network.
With a small international footprint, the carrier relies heavily on interline and codeshare agreements to feed into the airline's network. Its list of partners is extensive, with TAAG Angola joining last month. GOL will put its flight code on TAAG's São Paulo-Luanda-São Paulo route, making it possible to offer destinations in Africa and Europe, including Johannesburg, Cape Town, Windhoek, Maputo, Lisbon, and Madrid, in addition to TAAG's flight number being placed on 13 routes throughout Brazil.
Sources: PR Newswire