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

Brazilian airline Gol is ending 2024 with "good prospects" for adding capacity to its network, CE Celso Ferrer told Reuters, as planemaker Boeing delivered new 737 MAX aircraft this month after long delays. Gol, which is under bankruptcy protection in the United States, received three MAXs in December and expects to get another one in January, finally reaching the mark of 53 aircraft it had hoped to hit a year ago. The carrier filed for Chapter 11 in early 2024, hit by a fall in traffic due to COVID and delays in Boeing deliveries. Earlier this month, it said it would file an initial proposed reorganization plan with a U.S. court. "The delivery of these new aircraft will strengthen our operation. Our focus now is to make the most of the potential of our current fleet," Ferrer said. The new aircraft, initially slated for delivery early in the second half of this year, represent an investment of around 1b reais ($163m), the executive added. Airlines have been keen to add capacity in order to meet robust travel demand and renew their fleets to cut costs, but planemakers have been grappling with supply chain bottlenecks and production disruptions. Boeing was especially hit in 2024 with additional setbacks, including a seven-week strike, production safety concerns and increased regulatory scrutiny. "The strike affected our plans, but we managed to overcome it with short-term solutions," Ferrer said, adding that Gol increased capacity by 6.7% year-on-year in the third quarter. "When the strike ended, Boeing managed to maintain the delivery of four aircraft in the short term, but there are still uncertainties about the medium and long terms."<br/>