GOL Linhas Aéreas announced on August 3 the signing of an agreement to add 28 additional Boeing 737 MAX 8s to accelerate its fleet renewal.
These 28 new 737 MAX 8s are added to an existing order for 101 jets, of which he has received only 12 so far.
GOL expects to end 2021 with 28 737 MAX, which is equivalent to 22% of the current fleet. The company expects this number to rise to 44 aircraft by 2022, the equivalent in this case to 32% of the total fleet. GOL currently has 12 737 MAXs and has returned 18 737 NGs in the last year and a half.
«We are accelerating our fleet transformation plan in anticipation of the strong recovery in air travel in the post-pandemic scenario,» said the company’s chief executive, Paulo Kakinoff.
«The 737 MAX positions GOL to grow even more competitive with route expansion, while providing better efficiency, thereby generating more value for all of the Company’s stakeholders.» Kakinoff assured.
Based on the commitment to incorporate these new units, GOL advances towards the goal that the 737 MAX represents 75% of the company’s total fleet by 2030.
15 airframes will be financed through direct operating leases, 9 via sale and leaseback, and four via financial leases.
To maintain its high flexibility when increasing or decreasing supply based on demand, GOL plans to obtain approximately half of its own fleet under financial leases and the rest under operational leases.
Due to the arrival of these new aircraft, GOL will accelerate the return of a portion of its Boeing 737-700 and -800 fleet, while maintaining the flexibility to manage its fleet in regards to fluctuations in passenger demand during the pandemic and after it.
This new model, which is 15% more economical in fuel consumption, generates 16% less emissions and is 40% quieter than the 737-800 NG, is a key step for GOL to completely neutralize carbon emissions by 2050.
As reported by our partner site Aeroin, in 2019 GOL recorded more than 23,000 hours flown with the MAX and saved 9.7 million liters of fuel, thus reducing emissions by 24.3 tons.
“The 737 MAX family offers significant reductions in fuel consumption, carbon emissions and costs compared to other single-aisle aircraft, as well as providing higher utilization and high load factors. This is in line with GOL’s commitment to sustainability, through the continuous modernization of our fleet, with greener aircraft and lower fuel consumption, ”says Celso Ferrer, the company’s vice president of operations.
«The Boeing 737 MAX will take advantage of GOL’s unit cost advantage and, with its greater flight range, offer customers more convenience to fly to the Caribbean, Mexico and the United States, without the need for fuel stops,» said Eduardo Bernardes, Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Customers.
«Before the pandemic, Brazil was one of the top three countries along with Canada and Mexico, in the number of passengers flying to Orlando and Miami, and we hope this will resume when the United States lifts its travel restrictions,» he concluded.
GOL and Boeing have been partners from the beginning and the Brazilian company is the North American manufacturer’s main customer in South America, as well as being one of the largest 737 operators in the world.
«Since its founding, creating long-term value through the acquisition and financing of aircraft has been a key component of GOL’s business,» added Richard Lark, Vice President of Finance.
“We have completed our multi-year planning and, combined with the return on the Company’s sustainable growth rate through the absorption of the minority stake in our loyalty program, we will now have more cash flow available to invest in the acquisition of aircraft. ». Lark concluded.
The North American manufacturer is largely in agreement with the idea of being one of the main aircraft suppliers for GOL, according to what was expressed by Ricardo Cavero, Boeing’s vice president of sales for Latin America and the Caribbean: «We are proud to continue supporting GOL, which has a 100% Boeing fleet, and is expanding its order book for the 737.»
