Avianca Brasil to launch service between Miami and Sao Paulo

Oceanair Linhas Aéreas S.A., which does business as Avianca Brasil, will launch daily passenger service between Miami International Airport (MIA) and Sao Paulo, Brazil’s Guarulhos International Airport (GRU) on June 23, 2017.

“It is especially encouraging to see increased service from our top international market of Brazil, which had a downturn in travel last year,” Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez said, adding that he commended the MIA team for continually attracting new international air service to the south Florida area.

MIA currently serves an average of 71 weekly non-stop passenger flights to eight cities in Brazil, which is the most of any U.S. airport. Avianca Brasil will be the airport’s third airline serving Brazil, MIA’s top international market in 2015 with more 2.1 million total passengers.

Miami will be the first U.S. destination and only the second outside of Brazil for the airline, which has operated freighter service at MIA since 2015. Avianca Brasil, which has been a scheduled carrier since 2002, currently serves 22 destinations in Brazil and one in Colombia with 230 daily flights, carrying 9.4 million passengers in 2016.

“We are honored that Avianca Brasil has chosen to expand its operations at MIA, and also make Miami its first passenger route outside of South America,” Emilio González, Miami-Dade Aviation Director, added.

The flights will be served by Airbus A330-200 aircraft that seat 238 passengers.

Avianca Brasil is the fifth passenger airline to schedule a launch into the Miami market this year. Mexican low-cost carrier Volaris began four weekly flights to Guadalajara’s Don Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla International (GDL) and daily flights to Mexico City (MEX) on February 1. Three days later, Canadian airline First Air began charter passenger flights from Hamilton, Ontario (YHM) on behalf of Celebrity Cruises.

On April 6, low-cost transatlantic airline WOW air will launch three-times weekly service to Reykjavík, Iceland (KEF). Finally, Aer Lingus, the national airline of Ireland, will launch first-ever service from Dublin, Ireland (DUB) in September, with three weekly flights to MIA.

The five new airlines in 2017 will add to MIA’s current total of 105 passenger and cargo airlines – the most of any U.S. airport.

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