Latest News

Brazil airline company Gol upbeat on capacity as Boeing delivers new 737 MAXs

Brazilian airline company Gol is ending 2024 with good prospects for including capacity to its network, Chief Executive Celso Ferrer told Reuters, as planemaker Boeing delivered brand-new 737 MAX aircraft this month after long hold-ups.

Gol, which is under insolvency defense in the United States, received three MAXs in December and expects to get another one in January, finally reaching the mark of 53 airplane it had actually hoped to strike a year ago.

The carrier applied for Chapter 11 in early 2024, struck by a. fall in traffic due to COVID and delays in Boeing shipments. Earlier this month, it said it would submit a preliminary proposed. reorganization plan with a U.S. court.

The shipment of these brand-new airplane will reinforce our. operation. Our focus now is to take advantage of the potential of. our current fleet, Ferrer stated.

The new aircraft, at first slated for delivery early in the. second half of this year, represent a financial investment of around 1. billion reais ($ 163 million), the executive added.

Airlines have been eager to include capability in order to satisfy. robust travel demand and restore their fleets to cut expenses, however. planemakers have actually been facing supply chain bottlenecks. and production disturbances.

Boeing was specifically hit in 2024 with extra problems,. consisting of a seven-week strike, production security issues and. increased regulatory examination.

The strike affected our plans, but we handled to overcome. it with short-term solutions, Ferrer stated, adding that Gol. increased capacity by 6.7% year-on-year in the third quarter.

When the strike ended, Boeing managed to maintain the. shipment of 4 airplane in the short term, but there are still. unpredictabilities about the medium and long terms.

The brand-new airplanes will reinforce Gol's operations in the. Brazilian high season and allow it to keep expanding its. worldwide network after adding destinations such as Bogota,. San Jose, Aruba and Cancun in 2024.

We want to have more news to reveal in 2025 in our. global network, Ferrer stated, dubbing it a crucial focus for. the coming years.

Gol, whose fleet is made up completely of 737s, is the largest. operator of Boeing aircraft in Latin America. The shipment. hold-ups seriously constrained the carrier's growth in 2023.

Embraer and the Brazilian federal government this year. revealed the regional planemaker had held speak to potentially sell. its local airplane to Gol.

Asked about the conversations, Ferrer kept in mind that Gol has. always operated only 737 aircraft which standardization has. been a vital part of the carrier's company model, but is. always examining options for other models.

(source: Reuters)