By Gabriel Araujo and Luciana Magalhaes
SAO PAULO, March 6 (Reuters) – Brazilian airline Gol will announce on Friday that Rio de Janeiro’s Galeao international airport will serve as the hub for its new Airbus A330-900 aircraft entering the fleet, according to two sources familiar with the plans.
Until now, Gol has operated exclusively with Boeing 737 aircraft.
The airline is initially receiving five A330-900s, which are wide-body aircraft with approximately 300 seats capable of flying routes of up to 15 hours.
The planes will be gradually incorporated into the company’s fleet between 2026 and 2027.
The new aircraft will be focused on long-haul routes to North America and Europe, the sources said, adding that destinations being considered by the carrier include New York and Florida.
One of the people, who requested anonymity because the plans are not yet public, said Gol has sought slots in several major European cities, including Porto and London, though not all will necessarily become destinations.
Gol declined to comment on the plans.
(Reporting by Gabriel Araujo and Luciana Magalhaes, editing by Deepa Babington)
