Aerolineas Argentinas: No plans to join Avianca and Gol in Latin America’s newest airline group

Aerolineas Argentinas has no plans to join Gol in its merger with Avianca to form the new pan-South America airline group, Abra, president Pablo Ceriana said. “It’s difficult to think about something like that,” he said at the ALTA Leaders Forum in Buenos Aires on Monday, citing the Argentine government’s ownership of the airline. Avianca and Gol unveiled in May plans to form Abra, which will resemble Europe’s International Airlines Group. The group will also include Colombia’s Viva Air, and a minority stake in Chile’s Sky Airline when the merger is complete. Each airline will maintain its own brand and operate independently of the others but they plan to use their combined heft to jointly source from suppliers and coordinate commercially across the region. While a merger is off the table, Aerolineas is deepening its relationship with long-time partner Gol. The latest aspect of this is a new coordinated shuttle, or “air bridge,” between Buenos Aires’ close-in Aeroparque airport and Sao Paulo Guarulhos from November 1. Aerolineas and Gol will together offer seven daily flights on the route, as well as enhanced customer benefits — like dedicated check-in desks and free flight changes for certain fare classes — and improved connectivity between both airlines’ networks. Gol CEO Celso Ferrer said the expanded partnership, which builds on the airlines’ existing codeshare, will “make things easier for customers.” It also expands the Brazilian airlines reach in Argentina where it currently flies to just Aeroparque and Mendoza; Cordoba and Rosario flights resume in November, and Buenos Aires Ezeiza flights in December after pandemic suspensions. “Not being part of the group, we can still work together, have a lot of synergies, and a strategic vision about how to work in the region,” Ceriana said.<br/>