Latin American airline holding company Abra Group plans to make a “strategic investment” in Spanish charter carrier Wamos Air, a deal the companies say will allow them to expand operations in both Latin America and in Europe.
Abra, the UK-based parent of Colombian airline Avianca and of Brazilian carrier Gol, disclosed the deal on 9 May, saying it “has agreed to carry out a strategic investment in Wamos Air”.
“This partnership will bring about the possibility of improving connectivity between Latin America and Europe, leveraging the potential increase in coverage and operation of the [Abra’s] widebody fleet,” Abra adds.
The companies do not provide financial or other details about their plan.
Abra came into being in 2022 when shareholders of formerly independent Avianca and Gol agreed to form Abra as the parent of both. Gol, an all 737-operator, primarily flies within South America, while Avianca flies Airbus A320-family jets and Boeing 787s across a network that includes cities in both North America and Europe, among them Madrid.
Madrid-based Wamos flies charters and operates flights on behalf of other companies under aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance (ICMI) agreements. It has a fleet of three Airbus A330-200s, according to Cirium data.
Wamos’ “business model perfectly complements Abra’s vision and strategy of being a leader in air transportation in Latin America”, says Abra chief executive Adrian Neuhauser. “This partnership will allow us to participate in long-haul markets with widebody aircraft in other countries beyond our current Colombia operation.”
Abra chairman Constantino de Oliveira Junior adds that the deal will “expand opportunities to connect the countries of Latin America – not only with each other– but with the rest of the world”.
Wamos CEO Enrique Saiz says partnering with Abra will “complement our activity through the opening of new long-haul routes”.
The Spanish company will retain its existing executive team and continue to operate independently under its existing model, Abra says.
