Rio de Janeiro – Etihad Airways, based in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, should resume flying to Brazil in 2026. The decision is all but made, and the carrier is now looking into which Brazilian city it will fly to, said on Monday (28) the UAE assistant minister for Economic and Trade Affairs, Saeed Mubarak Al Hajeri.
Al Hajeri and UAE minister of state for International Cooperation Reem Al Hashimy sat down with journalists in Rio de Janeiro on Monday morning. They are in Brazil to attend meetings with local authorities and institutions as well as events involving the BRICS, a group comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Indonesia, Ethiopia, Iran, the UAE, and Egypt, whose summit meeting is set to take place next July in Brazil.
According to Al Hajeri, Etihad’s destination in Brazil has not yet been chosen because the choice is contingent on “commercial conditions” which it is looking into, but Brasília could see incoming flights from Abu Dhabi, as could Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, which Etihad flew to from 2013 to 2017.
Al Hashimy told the journalists that the UAE is home to a very “active” Brazilian community of 13,000, with an additional 100,000-plus Brazilians visiting the UAE each year. She also said Brazil-UAE exchange is growing, and that additional flights are a must for travelers on both sides. Currently, the Dubai-based Emirates Airline flies to São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.
Al Hashimy and Al Hajeri stressed that Brazil is a key trading and strategic partner, as it is also the “gateway” to UAE projects across South America. They pointed out that the UAE and Brazil have mutual investments in sectors such as the food industry, logistics, and infrastructure.
These economic ties, they said, may grow even tighter if a free trade agreement is entered into by the UAE and the Mercosur, a customs union comprising Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay which already has a partnership in place with Egypt, another Arab country. The UAE authorities believe the agreement should come to fruition “soon.”
The UAE ambassador to Brasília, Saleh Ahmed Alsuwaidi, said he is “proud” that Brazil-UAE non-oil exchange has reached USD 4.4 billion. “But we are looking forward to expand [this exchange] and increase it in both trade and investment,” he said. “With regard to trade, we are looking for work to include a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between Mercosur and Brazil. This is very important to double these numbers,” he said, referencing plans to achieve broader trade relations. He also said a memorandum of understanding is in place between Brazil and the UAE to promote investments.
Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
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