Gol is to invite Airbus and Boeing before year-end to present offers to renew the long-haul fleet of its VRG Linhas Aereas (Varig) division, which the Brazilian carrier acquired a couple of months ago.
A senior Gol source says that Varig "will need to demonstrate [to] the aviation authorities before the end of the year its ability to operate those routes for which it holds traffic rights, or risk losing them.
Varig will need a new long-haul fleet and we will ask both Airbus and Boeing for offers."
The fact that Gol and Varig are traditional Boeing customers does not exclude considering Airbus aircraft for Varig, says the Gol source. "It will be a completely new fleet, so there is no prejudice against or in favour of any manufacturer," he says.
In the short term, Varig is seeking more Boeing 767s to bring its fleet of the type to eight, allowing it to reinstate services to Mexico, France, Italy, Spain and the UK, in addition to the two daily frequencies it is operating to Frankfurt, says the source.
He also confirms that "routes to the US are also under consideration", but at a "lower priority than its European destinations".
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Source: FlightGlobal.com
