Following the agreement reached between Air France KLM and GOL at ITM Top Resa, the Brazilian carrier will be able to benefit from the entire Air France sales force in Europe. " The aim is to positionAir France/GOL alliance as the most efficient and fastest way to travel from Europe to Brazil and vice versa. The aim is also to sell our products even better on this route. "explains Zoran Jelkic, Executive Vice President France Air France/KLM.
One of the most important aspects of this strengthened partnership is to offer the best connections between the European continent and the South American giant. This strategy will see the opening next spring of routes to Fortaleza, in the state of Ceara.
Earlier last week, Air France announced the launch of services to Fortaleza by its new hybrid subsidiary JOON from May. The new entity will offer two flights a week from Paris CDG, complemented by the parallel launch of three weekly frequencies from Amsterdam by KLM.
the closest gateway to Brazil from Europe
" So from this spring we will have five flights a week, guaranteeing the flexibility needed by both business and leisure travellers. Our choice of Fortaleza may seem unusual. But if you look at a map, Fortaleza's location is excellent: it's the closest gateway to Brazil from Europe, and offers rapid access to the whole of the north-east of the country, as well as to the major cities of Rio or Sao Paulo "says Zoran Jelkic.
Fortaleza, Brazil's new hub
" Fortaleza is in the midst of an economic boom, with many international companies operating in the city, not least because of the presence of Brazilian oil giant Petrobras. But also because we have our own new hub in Fortalezafrom which we connect many domestic lines "says Eduardo Bernardes Neto, COO of GOL.
With the launch of the European routes, GOL will increase its capacity from Fortaleza by 35%, offering more than 50 daily flights to a dozen destinations. " We already offer the fastest connection options between the North (Belem and Manaus) and the North-East of Brazil (Fortaleza, Natal, Recife and Salvador). We are going to further improve this offer with our two waves of connections "promises Eduardo Bernardes Neto. "We are very optimistic about this route, because there is real potential for developing both the business market and tourism. Fortaleza may be less well known than Salvador de Bahia, Manaus or Rio, but there is a certain appetite among French travellers for unknown names! "adds Zoran Jelkic.
Especially as signs of economic recovery in Brazil is confirmed after three years in the wilderness.
As for GOL, it offers Air France passengers the largest network to Brazil, with some 700 daily flights. The company, which was born as a pure low-cost carrier, offers a single cabin class, but its product corresponds to the classic standards of European carriers. " For example, we offer wifiWith half of our fleet equipped, this percentage should reach 100% before the end of the year. We have loungesalso co-opted by Air France/KLM and Delta. We have reached 36% market share on Brazilian domestic routes and 33% market share in the corporate and business segment alone "says Eduardo Bernardes Neto. " In fact, we are not a "low-cost" company simply because our production costs are among the lowest in the world. "he stresses.
