São Paulo — Etihad Airways, the United Arab Emirates’ national carrier, which previously operated direct flights to Brazil, and Abra Group, the Colombian holding company that controls Gol, Avianca and Wamos Air, have signed a memorandum of understanding to expand air connectivity between Latin America, the Middle East and Asia through their combined route networks.
Gol is a Brazilian airline. Avianca is Colombian, and Wamos Air is Spanish, although both also operate in Brazil. The UAE’s state news agency WAM reported that the partnership with Gol and Avianca will expand collaboration with Etihad through reciprocal frequent-flyer benefits, commercial cooperation and codeshare agreements. The initiatives are expected to begin rolling out later in 2026.
Gol and Etihad also plan to evaluate the wet lease of an Airbus A330-900, without crew, with operations expected to begin in November 2026. Wamos Air, meanwhile, is expected to support Etihad’s expansion plans by providing up to three aircraft from March 2027. The companies will continue working toward definitive agreements governing the proposed initiatives, which remain subject to regulatory approvals, commercial agreements and operational feasibility assessments.
One of the partnership’s main objectives is to establish new links between the regions, allowing Abra Group passengers to access destinations across the Middle East, Asia, the Indian subcontinent and Australia through Etihad’s network. In turn, Etihad customers will gain broader access to destinations across Latin America.
Etihad Airways CEO Antonoaldo Neves said Latin America is becoming an increasingly important market for the airline. “This partnership creates a powerful platform to connect more travelers with Abu Dhabi and destinations across our expanding global network.”
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Mubadala e Embraer assinam acordo
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
