Gol Transportes Aéreos
Encyclopedia
Gol Transportes Aéreos is a Brazilian airline based in Comandante Lineu Gomes Square, São Paulo City, Brazil
.
It owns the brand Varig although the name Varig refers to the informally known "new" Varig, founded in 2006 and not to the "old" Varig, founded in 1927.
According to the National Civil Aviation Agency of Brazil
(ANAC) in October 2011 Gol/Varig had 37.08% of the domestic and 9.98% of the international market share
s in terms of passenger kilometres flown.
Gol operates a growing domestic and international scheduled network. Its main hubs are São Paulo's Congonhas Airport, Rio de Janeiro's Galeão International Airport and Brasília International Airport - Presidente Juscelino Kubitschek
. Gol also has focus operations at Belo Horizonte Int'l Airport
, Rio de Janeiro's Santos Dumont Airport, São Paulo's Guarulhos International Airport and Porto Alegre
's Salgado Filho International Airport
.
Gol refers to itself as Gol Intelligent Airlines (Gol Linhas aéreas inteligentes in Portuguese
) as a slogan. The company is traded on the New York Stock Exchange
as "GOL Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes S.A." "Gol" in Portuguese and Spanish translates into goal
.
The airline was established in 2000 and started operations on January 15, 2001. It is a subsidiary of the Brazilian conglomerate Grupo Áurea based at Minas Gerais
state, which has other transport interests including Brazil's largest long-distance bus company. Grupo Áurea in turn is owned by the Constantino family. As of 2004, Gol had carried 11,600,000 passengers, and constituted 20% of the Brazilian air travel market.
On June 24, 2004 Gol launched simultaneous initial public offerings on the New York and São Paulo stock exchanges. It is now owned by AeroPar Participações (77%), Venture (17.6%) and American International Group (5.4%) and employs 5,456 staff (at March 2007). The growth in Gol's stock price made the Constantino family a member of the Forbes Magazine billionaire list in 2005 .
In 2007, Gol was supposed to begin a code-share agreement with TAP Portugal
, opening the European market to the Brazilian airline, and the internal Brazilian market to the Portuguese airline (the largest foreign airline in Brazil). TAP Portugal
instead chose to cooperate with TAM Airlines (TAM Linhas Aéreas).
On March 28, 2007 Gol officially purchased part of the assets of VARIG - VRG Linhas Aéreas, informally known as "new Varig", a new airline that owned the brand Varig, for US$320 million from Volo Group and MatlinPatterson Global Opportunies hedge fund
. At that time "old Varig" was under bankruptcy protection.
Gol announced that the brand VARIG would continue doing business and operating as Varig rather than its official name VRG Linhas Aéreas. The transaction, via its GTI subsidiary, required a US$98 million cash payment, with the balance through the allocation of non-voting shares to VARIG Logística and Volo which had acquired VARIG in June 2006 for US$24 million. The transaction did not involve the original airline, informally known as "old Varig", which continued to exist until its own bankruptcy mid-2010 under the name Flex Linhas Aéreas
.
In 2009 Gol was merged into VRG Linhas Aéreas. VRG Linhas Aéreas thus became an airline that operates two brands: Gol and Varig, although in reality flights are operated only under Gol flight numbers. The brand Varig operates to medium-haul scheduled and charter international destinations within South America and to the Caribbean with Boeing 737-700's configured in two classes, and to long-haul charter international destinations in North America, Europe and Africa with Boeing 767-300ER's configured in economy only. The latter is also used in wet-lease operations. The brand Gol operates most of the flights of the network, and has aircraft configured in all-economy class, used for scheduled domestic and international operations within South America.
Because of contractual obligations between 2006 and 2009 "new Varig" (VRG Linhas Aéreas) was obliged to purchase a minimum of 140 hours/month of services from "old Varig" (Flex Linhas Aéreas). Therefore, some of VRG Linhas Aéreas flights operated with Gol flight numbers are actually flown with chartered aircraft from Flex Linhas Aéreas. The agreement ceased before the bankruptcy of Flex on August 20, 2010.
On February 24, 2010 Gol announced to be in "advanced talks" to join Oneworld alliance, which would allow it to catch up with rival TAM, a recent member of Star Alliance. However, on October 6, 2010, the airline announced a change in position by denying any interest in joining an alliance, preferring to remain independent and to establish a "patchwork of code-sharing agreements." Following this trend, on September 28, 2011 Gol and Aerolíneas Argentinas
announced the intention to implement a codeshare, feeder and frequent flyer programs agreement on a date yet to be announced and pending on governments approval.
On March 18, 2010 Gol unveiled the expansion of its maintenance base located at Belo Horizonte/Confins - Tancredo Neves International Airport
. Originally opened in 2008 with the capacity to serve 60 aircraft per year (mainly Boeings 737 and 767), the expansion allowed Gol to increase the number to 120. Gol now seeks homologation from the Federal Aviation Administration
, which will enable the center to serve aircraft of other airlines.
Since December 23, 2010 Gol Airlines has an operational partnership with Passaredo Linhas Aéreas.
On July 8, 2011, VRG Linhas Aéreas, owner of the brands Gol and Varig, announced the intention to purchase full control of WebJet Linhas Aéreas
. The purchase contract was signed on August 2, 2011. Until approval by all government bodies, both companies will operate independently but eventually Webjet will be integrated into Gol and cease to exist.
, American Airlines
, Delta Air Lines
and KLM, including flights, upgrades, holidays, hotel stays and car rentals. Smiles was part of the "new Varig" package bought by Gol, which honored all miles and eventually became its own Frequent-flyer program. Previously Gol had no such a program.
On a study conducted in 2010, Smiles ranked first among 24 chosen frequent flyer programs, with 100% success of requests made.
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
.
It owns the brand Varig although the name Varig refers to the informally known "new" Varig, founded in 2006 and not to the "old" Varig, founded in 1927.
According to the National Civil Aviation Agency of Brazil
National Civil Aviation Agency of Brazil
The National Civil Aviation Agency , also known as ANAC, is the Brazilian civil aviation authority, created in 2006...
(ANAC) in October 2011 Gol/Varig had 37.08% of the domestic and 9.98% of the international market share
Market share
Market share is the percentage of a market accounted for by a specific entity. In a survey of nearly 200 senior marketing managers, 67 percent responded that they found the "dollar market share" metric very useful, while 61% found "unit market share" very useful.Marketers need to be able to...
s in terms of passenger kilometres flown.
Gol operates a growing domestic and international scheduled network. Its main hubs are São Paulo's Congonhas Airport, Rio de Janeiro's Galeão International Airport and Brasília International Airport - Presidente Juscelino Kubitschek
Brasília International Airport
Brasília-Presidente Juscelino Kubitschek International Airport is the airport serving Brasília, Brazil. Since April 22, 1999 the airport is named after Juscelino Kubitschek de Oliveira , the 21st President of Brazil....
. Gol also has focus operations at Belo Horizonte Int'l Airport
Tancredo Neves International Airport
Tancredo Neves International Airport , formerly called Confins International Airport, is the main airport serving Belo Horizonte, Brazil, located in the adjoining municipality of Confins...
, Rio de Janeiro's Santos Dumont Airport, São Paulo's Guarulhos International Airport and Porto Alegre
Porto Alegre
Porto Alegre is the tenth most populous municipality in Brazil, with 1,409,939 inhabitants, and the centre of Brazil's fourth largest metropolitan area . It is also the capital city of the southernmost Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. The city is the southernmost capital city of a Brazilian...
's Salgado Filho International Airport
Salgado Filho International Airport
Salgado Filho International Airport is the airport serving Porto Alegre, Brazil. It is named after the Senator and first Minister of the Brazilian Air Force Joaquim Pedro Salgado Filho , killed on June 20, 1950 in an accident with an aircraft which departed from Porto Alegre.In 2010 the airport...
.
Gol refers to itself as Gol Intelligent Airlines (Gol Linhas aéreas inteligentes in Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
) as a slogan. The company is traded on the New York Stock Exchange
New York Stock Exchange
The New York Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located at 11 Wall Street in Lower Manhattan, New York City, USA. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed companies at 13.39 trillion as of Dec 2010...
as "GOL Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes S.A." "Gol" in Portuguese and Spanish translates into goal
Association football pitch
An association football pitch is the playing surface for the game of association football made of turf. Its dimensions and markings are defined by Law 1 of the Laws of the Game, "The Field of Play".All line markings on the pitch form part of the area which they define...
.
History
Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais is one of the 26 states of Brazil, of which it is the second most populous, the third richest, and the fourth largest in area. Minas Gerais is the Brazilian state with the largest number of Presidents of Brazil, the current one, Dilma Rousseff, being one of them. The capital is the...
state, which has other transport interests including Brazil's largest long-distance bus company. Grupo Áurea in turn is owned by the Constantino family. As of 2004, Gol had carried 11,600,000 passengers, and constituted 20% of the Brazilian air travel market.
On June 24, 2004 Gol launched simultaneous initial public offerings on the New York and São Paulo stock exchanges. It is now owned by AeroPar Participações (77%), Venture (17.6%) and American International Group (5.4%) and employs 5,456 staff (at March 2007). The growth in Gol's stock price made the Constantino family a member of the Forbes Magazine billionaire list in 2005 .
In 2007, Gol was supposed to begin a code-share agreement with TAP Portugal
TAP Portugal
TAP Portugal, commonly known as TAP, is the national airline of Portugal. It has its head office in Building 25 on the grounds of Portela Airport in Lisbon, and has been a member of the Star Alliance since 14 March 2005, the same day on which the company celebrated its 60th anniversary...
, opening the European market to the Brazilian airline, and the internal Brazilian market to the Portuguese airline (the largest foreign airline in Brazil). TAP Portugal
TAP Portugal
TAP Portugal, commonly known as TAP, is the national airline of Portugal. It has its head office in Building 25 on the grounds of Portela Airport in Lisbon, and has been a member of the Star Alliance since 14 March 2005, the same day on which the company celebrated its 60th anniversary...
instead chose to cooperate with TAM Airlines (TAM Linhas Aéreas).
On March 28, 2007 Gol officially purchased part of the assets of VARIG - VRG Linhas Aéreas, informally known as "new Varig", a new airline that owned the brand Varig, for US$320 million from Volo Group and MatlinPatterson Global Opportunies hedge fund
Private equity
Private equity, in finance, is an asset class consisting of equity securities in operating companies that are not publicly traded on a stock exchange....
. At that time "old Varig" was under bankruptcy protection.
Gol announced that the brand VARIG would continue doing business and operating as Varig rather than its official name VRG Linhas Aéreas. The transaction, via its GTI subsidiary, required a US$98 million cash payment, with the balance through the allocation of non-voting shares to VARIG Logística and Volo which had acquired VARIG in June 2006 for US$24 million. The transaction did not involve the original airline, informally known as "old Varig", which continued to exist until its own bankruptcy mid-2010 under the name Flex Linhas Aéreas
Flex Linhas Aéreas
Flex Linhas Aéreas, styled as FLEX, was a Brazilian non-regular charter airline based at Rio de Janeiro-Galeão International Airport. It is the brand name of Nordeste Linhas Aéreas S.A., judicial successor of former Viação Aérea-Rio Grandense, known as Varig. Informally Flex is known as "old Varig"...
.
In 2009 Gol was merged into VRG Linhas Aéreas. VRG Linhas Aéreas thus became an airline that operates two brands: Gol and Varig, although in reality flights are operated only under Gol flight numbers. The brand Varig operates to medium-haul scheduled and charter international destinations within South America and to the Caribbean with Boeing 737-700's configured in two classes, and to long-haul charter international destinations in North America, Europe and Africa with Boeing 767-300ER's configured in economy only. The latter is also used in wet-lease operations. The brand Gol operates most of the flights of the network, and has aircraft configured in all-economy class, used for scheduled domestic and international operations within South America.
Because of contractual obligations between 2006 and 2009 "new Varig" (VRG Linhas Aéreas) was obliged to purchase a minimum of 140 hours/month of services from "old Varig" (Flex Linhas Aéreas). Therefore, some of VRG Linhas Aéreas flights operated with Gol flight numbers are actually flown with chartered aircraft from Flex Linhas Aéreas. The agreement ceased before the bankruptcy of Flex on August 20, 2010.
Aerolíneas Argentinas
Aerolíneas Argentinas , formally Aerolíneas Argentinas S.A., is Argentina's largest airline and serves as the country's flag carrier. Owned in its majority by the Argentine Government, the airline is headquartered in the Torre Bouchard, located in San Nicolás, Buenos Aires...
announced the intention to implement a codeshare, feeder and frequent flyer programs agreement on a date yet to be announced and pending on governments approval.
On March 18, 2010 Gol unveiled the expansion of its maintenance base located at Belo Horizonte/Confins - Tancredo Neves International Airport
Tancredo Neves International Airport
Tancredo Neves International Airport , formerly called Confins International Airport, is the main airport serving Belo Horizonte, Brazil, located in the adjoining municipality of Confins...
. Originally opened in 2008 with the capacity to serve 60 aircraft per year (mainly Boeings 737 and 767), the expansion allowed Gol to increase the number to 120. Gol now seeks homologation from the Federal Aviation Administration
Federal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...
, which will enable the center to serve aircraft of other airlines.
Since December 23, 2010 Gol Airlines has an operational partnership with Passaredo Linhas Aéreas.
On July 8, 2011, VRG Linhas Aéreas, owner of the brands Gol and Varig, announced the intention to purchase full control of WebJet Linhas Aéreas
WebJet Linhas Aéreas
WebJet Linhas Aéreas S.A. is a lowcost Brazilian airline, based in Rio de Janeiro. It was owned by CVC, the largest travel company in Brazil, but was acquired in July 2011 by Gol Transportes Aéreos...
. The purchase contract was signed on August 2, 2011. Until approval by all government bodies, both companies will operate independently but eventually Webjet will be integrated into Gol and cease to exist.
Destinations
The link above includes destinations operated by the brand Varig ("new" Varig).Agreements
Gol has codeshare and feeder agreements with the following airlines:- Air FranceAir FranceAir France , stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the French flag carrier headquartered in Tremblay-en-France, , and is one of the world's largest airlines. It is a subsidiary of the Air France-KLM Group and a founding member of the SkyTeam global airline alliance...
(SkyTeamSkyTeamSkyTeam, branded as SKYTEAM, is an airline alliance with its centralised management team, SkyTeam Central, based at the World Trade Center Schiphol Airport on the grounds of Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands...
) - American AirlinesAmerican AirlinesAmerican Airlines, Inc. is the world's fourth-largest airline in passenger miles transported and operating revenues. American Airlines is a subsidiary of the AMR Corporation and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas adjacent to its largest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport...
(OneworldOneworldOneworld , branded as oneworld, is one of the world's three largest global airline alliances with its central management team, oneworld Management Company, based in New York City, New York, USA. Oneworld was founded in 1999 by American Airlines, British Airways, Canadian Airlines, Cathay Pacific...
) - Copa AirlinesCopa AirlinesCompañía Panameña de Aviación, S.A., operating as Copa Airlines ', is an airline based in Panama City, Panama, and serves as Panama's flag carrier...
(future Star AllianceStar AllianceStar Alliance is the world's first and largest airline alliance, headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, Germany . The alliance was founded in 1997 by five of the world's leading airlines: Air Canada, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Thai Airways International and United Airlines...
member) - Delta Air LinesDelta Air LinesDelta Air Lines, Inc. is a major airline based in the United States and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline operates an extensive domestic and international network serving all continents except Antarctica. Delta and its subsidiaries operate over 4,000 flights every day...
(SkyTeamSkyTeamSkyTeam, branded as SKYTEAM, is an airline alliance with its centralised management team, SkyTeam Central, based at the World Trade Center Schiphol Airport on the grounds of Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands...
) - Iberia (OneworldOneworldOneworld , branded as oneworld, is one of the world's three largest global airline alliances with its central management team, oneworld Management Company, based in New York City, New York, USA. Oneworld was founded in 1999 by American Airlines, British Airways, Canadian Airlines, Cathay Pacific...
) - Insel AirInsel AirInsel Air International B.V. ' is an airline based in Willemstad, Curaçao. It has Hato International Airport in Curaçao as its home base. Insel is German for island...
- KLM (SkyTeamSkyTeamSkyTeam, branded as SKYTEAM, is an airline alliance with its centralised management team, SkyTeam Central, based at the World Trade Center Schiphol Airport on the grounds of Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands...
) - Passaredo Linhas Aéreas
- Qatar AirwaysQatar AirwaysQatar Airways Company Q.C.S.C. , operating as Qatar Airways, is the flag carrier of Qatar. Headquartered in the Qatar Airways Tower in Doha, it operates a hub-and-spoke network, linking over 100 international destinations from its base in Doha, using a fleet of over 100 aircraft...
Operating Fleet
The fleet of VRG Linhas Aéreas, which combines the brands Gol and Varig, consists of the following aircraft (as of November 2011):| Aircraft | Total | Orders | Passengers | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J | Y | Total | ||||
| Boeing 737-700 Boeing 737 Next Generation The Boeing 737 Next Generation, commonly abbreviated as Boeing 737NG, is the name given to the -600/-700/-800/-900 series of the Boeing 737 after the introduction of the -300/-400/-500 Classic series. They are short- to medium-range, narrow-body jet airliners... |
43 | — | 0 | 144 | 144 | Gol and Varig colors |
| Boeing 737-800 Boeing 737 Next Generation The Boeing 737 Next Generation, commonly abbreviated as Boeing 737NG, is the name given to the -600/-700/-800/-900 series of the Boeing 737 after the introduction of the -300/-400/-500 Classic series. They are short- to medium-range, narrow-body jet airliners... |
79 | 108 | 16 0 0 |
154 178 187 |
170 178 187 |
Varig colours; operated on some international scheduled and charter flights Varig colours; operated on domestic and some international scheduled and charter flights Gol colours |
| Boeing 767-200 Boeing 767 The Boeing 767 is a mid-size, wide-body twin-engine jet airliner built by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It was the manufacturer's first wide-body twinjet and its first airliner with a two-crew glass cockpit. The aircraft features two turbofan engines, a supercritical wing, and a conventional tail... |
1 | — | 0 | 248 | 248 | Varig colours; operated on international charter and some domestic scheduled flights |
| Boeing 767-300ER Boeing 767 The Boeing 767 is a mid-size, wide-body twin-engine jet airliner built by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It was the manufacturer's first wide-body twinjet and its first airliner with a two-crew glass cockpit. The aircraft features two turbofan engines, a supercritical wing, and a conventional tail... |
1 | — | 0 | 262 | 262 | Varig colours; operated on international charter and some domestic scheduled flights |
| Aircraft | Total | Years of operation |
|---|---|---|
| Boeing 737-300 Boeing 737 Classic The Boeing 737 Classic is the name given to the -300/-400/-500 series of the Boeing 737 following the introduction of the -600/-700/-800/-900 series. They are short- to medium- range, narrow-body jet airliners produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The Classic series was introduced as the 'new... |
2000–2010 | |
Airline Affinity Program
Smiles is Gol/Varig's Frequent-flyer program as of July 20, 2006. Points can be used for services from Gol/Varig, and partners Air FranceAir France
Air France , stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the French flag carrier headquartered in Tremblay-en-France, , and is one of the world's largest airlines. It is a subsidiary of the Air France-KLM Group and a founding member of the SkyTeam global airline alliance...
, American Airlines
American Airlines
American Airlines, Inc. is the world's fourth-largest airline in passenger miles transported and operating revenues. American Airlines is a subsidiary of the AMR Corporation and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas adjacent to its largest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport...
, Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a major airline based in the United States and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline operates an extensive domestic and international network serving all continents except Antarctica. Delta and its subsidiaries operate over 4,000 flights every day...
and KLM, including flights, upgrades, holidays, hotel stays and car rentals. Smiles was part of the "new Varig" package bought by Gol, which honored all miles and eventually became its own Frequent-flyer program. Previously Gol had no such a program.
On a study conducted in 2010, Smiles ranked first among 24 chosen frequent flyer programs, with 100% success of requests made.
Accidents and incidents
- 29 September 2006: Flight 1907Gol Transportes Aéreos Flight 1907Gol Transportes Aéreos Flight 1907 was a Boeing 737-8EH, registration PR-GTD, on a scheduled passenger flight from Manaus, Brazil, to Rio de Janeiro. On 29 September 2006, just before 17:00 BRT, it collided in midair with an Embraer Legacy business jet over the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso...
operated by the Boeing 737-800 SFPBoeing 737The Boeing 737 is a short- to medium-range, twin-engine narrow-body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has developed into a family of nine passenger models with a capacity of 85 to 215 passengers...
registration PR-GTD disappeared from radar while flying over the center-western state of Mato GrossoMato GrossoMato Grosso is one of the states of Brazil, the third largest in area, located in the western part of the country.Neighboring states are Rondônia, Amazonas, Pará, Tocantins, Goiás and Mato Grosso do Sul. It also borders Bolivia to the southwest...
en route from ManausEduardo Gomes International AirportBrigadeiro Eduardo Gomes-Manaus International Airport , is the main airport serving Manaus, Brazil. It is named after the Brazilian politician and military figure Air Marshall Eduardo Gomes ....
to BrasíliaBrasília International AirportBrasília-Presidente Juscelino Kubitschek International Airport is the airport serving Brasília, Brazil. Since April 22, 1999 the airport is named after Juscelino Kubitschek de Oliveira , the 21st President of Brazil....
and Rio de Janeiro-Galeão. The aircraft collided in mid-air with an Embraer Legacy 600Embraer Legacy|-See also:-External links:* * * *...
business jet, near the town of MatupáMatupáMatupá is a town and municipality in the state of Mato Grosso in the Central-West Region of Brazil.-References:...
, 470 miles (756.4 km) south of ManausManausManaus is a city in Brazil, the capital of the state of Amazonas. It is situated at the confluence of the Negro and Solimões rivers. It is the most populous city of Amazonas, according to the statistics of Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, and is a popular ecotourist destination....
. The Gol aircraft crashed in the Amazon jungle leaving no survivors among its 154 occupants and its wreckage was found a day later. The Legacy jet landed safely at Cachimbo AirportCachimbo AirportCachimbo Airport is the military airport serving Campo de Provas Brigadeiro Velloso, a large Testing and Training Range complex of the Brazilian Armed Forces located in Serra do Cachimbo , in the southern part of Pará, Brazil....
, part of the military complex Campo de Provas Brigadeiro VellosoCampo de Provas Brigadeiro VellosoCampo de Provas Brigadeiro Velloso – CPBV is a large complex of the Brazilian Armed Forces located in Serra do Cachimbo , in the southern part of Pará, Brazil. The complex includes the Cachimbo Airport operated by the Brazilian Air Force...
of the Brazilian Air ForceBrazilian Air ForceThe Brazilian Air Force is the air branch of the Brazilian Armed Forces and one of the three national uniformed services. The FAB was formed when the Army and Navy air branch were merged into a single military force initially called "National Air Forces"...
with damage to the tail and left winglet.