TAM Airlines invests $300 million in Rio operations

LONDON, England – TAM Airlines’ international routes from Rio de Janeiro gain new frequencies as of May and August.

LONDON, England – TAM Airlines’ international routes from Rio de Janeiro gain new frequencies as of May and August. The company will offer a daily service to-and-from Frankfurt as of 2 May, and increase the current four weekly services to New York to six. The first of these two additional New York departures will begin operating in May, the other is in the process of approval by the Brazilian National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC), and is expected to start in August. The company is also waiting on ANAC approval to increase the number of services between Rio de Janeiro and London from three to six weekly departures as of 1 August this year. TAM already offers a daily service to São Paulo from London Heathrow.

Rio de Janeiro is a major global and domestic tourist destination, which has lead TAM to expand its operations at the city’s Tom Jobim International Airport / Galeão. To increase the services to-and-from Rio de Janeiro to London, Frankfurt and New York, the airline has invested approximately US$ 300 million (based on list price) for the delivery of two new Airbus A330 aircraft. The first will be delivered in April and the other in May. The company currently has a fleet of 152 aircraft, and expects this to reach the end of the year with a total of 156 aircraft.

“Rio’s airport is our second most important international hub, from where we already have direct flights to New York, Miami, Buenos Aires, Paris, Frankfurt and London. With the new frequencies we are reaffirming our passion for Rio and recognizing the city’s importance as a gateway to-and-from the country for both business and leisure travellers”, explains Líbano Barroso, CEO of TAM Airlines.

“Rio de Janeiro is the main gateway for tourists coming to Brazil, and this should increase with the major events to come, including the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games,” says Sérgio Cabral, Governor of the State of Rio de Janeiro. “I am very pleased to hear of the announcement by TAM Airlines to increase frequencies, which recognizes the global importance of Rio de Janeiro and will bring a greater option of access for passengers from Europe and the United States to our city and our state, for both tourism and business”.

The next two Olympic hosts, Rio and London, have already seen a considerable growth in the amount of leisure and business traffic between the two cities, the business traffic being lead by the growth of the oil and gas industries, as well as finance and banking.

The route between Rio de Janeiro and Frankfurt gains two more frequencies as of May, making it a daily service between both cities. The flights will continue to be operated by Airbus A330 aircraft, with a capacity for 223 passengers in three classes. Being four seats in First Class, 36 in Business and 183 in Economy.

The first of the new Frankfurt services from 2 May include flight JJ8102 that will depart every Monday from Rio de Janeiro at 21.00 and arrive in Frankfurt at 13.50 local time. The reverse route, JJ8103, will depart from Frankfurt every Tuesday at 22.40, arriving back in Rio at 06.10.

The second new service, JJ 8104, will depart every Thursday as of 5 May from Rio de Janeiro at 20.31 and arrive in Frankfurt at 13.20 local time. The reverse route, JJ8105, will depart from Frankfurt every Friday at 22.50, arriving back in Rio at 06.22 the next day.

In May, TAM will also offer a fifth weekly direct non-stop flight between Rio de Janeiro and New York. In addition as of May all flights between Rio and New York will be at night – including the Sunday New York-Rio de Janeiro service, which currently takes off at 10.00. The route, like Frankfurt, is operated by Airbus A330 aircraft with capacity for 223 passengers in three classes of service. The request for a sixth flight on the New York route is currently under analysis by ANAC.

From May, flight JJ8078 will depart every Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from Rio de Janeiro at 23.05 and arrive in New York at 08.15 local time. The reverse route, JJ8079, will depart from New York every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday at 18.15, landing back in Rio at 05.29 the next morning.

All passengers travelling in TAM’s First Class and Business Class cabins can use the airline’s VIP lounges in Galeão (Rio), London, Frankfurt, and New York airports.

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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