Airlines Air France-KLM and GOL launch new Fortaleza hub

Air France-KLM aims to further strengthen its development strategy in Brazil by focussing on setting up a hub at Fortaleza. The group sees a big potential for flights between Europe to Brazil and back. Therefore, it has partnered up with Brazilian airline GOL Linhas Aéreas, which already operates a domestic hub at the airport.

Two new routes have been added between Fortaleza and the European hubs at Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle and Amsterdam-Schiphol. Air France´s new low-cost carrier Joon is operating on the route between Paris and Fortaleza with Airbus A340 aircraft, which can accommodate 278 passengers in a three-class configuration. KLM flies with Airbus A330 aircraft with a capacity of 268 seats. Overall, Air France-KLM is offering five weekly flights between Europe and Fortaleza.

The new partnership with GOL enables passengers to use an optimized network with 104 European and 50 Brazilian destinations. Furthermore, a single check-in and simplified connections will be available.

Jean-Marc Janaillac, Chairman and CEO of Air France-KLM, said: “Today, Air France-KLM is confirming its development strategy in Brazil. For the first time we are simultaneously inaugurating two new routes between Europe and Fortaleza along with a new strategic hub with our partner GOL. With this new hub, we can offer our customers a wider choice of connections to North-East Brazil, making our customers’ trips faster and easier.”

Pieter Elbers, President and CEO of KLM, added: "Fortaleza is strategically placed as an entry point to Europe and important regions in Brazil. The partnership with GOL opens up a new strategic hub, which cements the connection between Amsterdam and Brazil. KLM already served 24 destinations in Brazil in a codeshare with GOL on flights departing from Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. With all the other expansions in South America over the last few years, this marks an important step in KLM and AFKL’s strategy in South America.”

In Summer 2018, Air France-KLM offers a total of 231 weekly flights to 26 destinations in Central and South America, as well as to the Caribbean.

Air France-KLM is an airline holding company, headquartered at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport. Air France owns the subsidiaries Air France Cargo, HOP!, Transavia France and Joon, while KLM owns KLM Cargo, KLM Cityhopper, Transavia and Martinair. Servair, an airline catering company, is also a part of the group. Air France-KLM was established in 2004 and employed over 84,000 people in 2016.