Brazil’s second-largest carrier GOL Linhas Aéreas announced on 13 October that it will suspend its Rio de Janeiro–Miami service from 15 November and reduce frequencies on multiple domestic routes, including Brasília–Salvador and Belém–Fortaleza. In a statement to aviation outlet AEROIN, the airline blamed jet-fuel costs, which have climbed 74 percent since March amid Middle-East tensions and ongoing supply disruptions linked to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. GOL said the international suspension is temporary but offered no date for resumption, noting that fuel accounts for up to 40 percent of operating costs on long-haul Boeing 737-MAX flights. The carrier has reopened its voluntary Leave-Without-Pay (Licença Não Remunerada) programme to pilots, cabin crew and some ground staff, a move designed to save cash without triggering layoffs while demand readjusts. From a mobility perspective, the sudden loss of Brazil’s only low-cost link to Florida squeezes corporate-travel budgets. Competitors American Airlines, Azul and LATAM still fly the corridor but at higher fares and, in Azul’s case, largely from Campinas rather than Rio. Travel managers with negotiated GOL fares must rebook travellers or seek interline agreements; the airline is waiving change fees for affected tickets issued before 13 October. Domestically, capacity cuts coincide with the year-end peak for corporate meetings and construction projects. GOL said it will try to concentrate reductions on off-peak days, but some airports—Fortaleza, Salvador and Belém—could see daily seat supply fall by double digits. The National Civil Aviation Agency has asked the carrier for a recovery plan to protect consumer rights under Resolution 400. Longer term, analysts warn that prolonged oil volatility will accelerate fleet-modernisation decisions across Brazilian carriers. GOL has 67 737-MAX 10s on order but delivery delays mean older Next-Generation variants will stay in service longer, diluting fuel-economy gains. Until global supply stabilises, businesses should expect Brazil-US airfares to remain elevated and incorporate contingency funds into 2027 budgets.
Source: AEROIN
