Flybondi (FO, Córdoba International) may commence domestic services in Brazil, CCO Mauricio Sana Saldaña told Reuters on January 24, declaring, “It's not crazy to think of having a domestic operation”. New destinations in Brazil could include Recife, he added.
The ultra-low-cost carrier currently uses five leased B737-800s, with a sixth to be delivered, to connect its Buenos Aires El Palomar base with 13 other destinations in Argentina as well as to Florianopolis (4x weekly), Rio de Janeiro International (4x weekly), and São Paulo Guarulhos (3x weekly) in Brazil, and to Asuncion in Paraguay (3x weekly), according to the ch-aviation capacities module.
The São Paulo service launched on January 24, and in March it will start flying to Porto Alegre International in Brazil's southern state of Rio Grande do Sul. Flybondi is also looking at a handful of other Brazilian cities, including Recife, Saldaña said.
The chief commercial officer then said that the airline may consider domestic flights within Brazil.
The Brazilian government has been trying to push non-Brazilian airlines into adding competition to what is currently a domestic market that is largely concentrated in the hands of LATAM Airlines Brasil, GOL Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes, and Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras.
The owner of Spain’s Air Europa, Globalia Corporacion, obtained a licence last year for domestic routes within Brazil for its Globalia Linhas Aéreas subsidiary but has yet to make any further announcements regarding progress made, if any.
