South African Airways And Gol Linhas Aéreas Expand Codeshare Agreement To Include 60 New Destinations

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South African Airways and Gol Linhas Aéreas have renewed their codeshare agreement, enhancing connectivity between major South African and Brazilian cities.

The partnership between South African Airways (SAA) and Rio de Janeiro’s Gol Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes has been reinstated. Travelers can now book and fly under this renewed codeshare agreement immediately.

This collaboration marks the resumption of the SAA and Gol Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes alliance, which had been on hold since the Covid-19 pandemic.

SAA’s Chief Commercial Officer, Mr Tebogo Tsimane said, “The reinstatement of the codeshare agreement affirms Brazil’s status as a strategically important destination for South Africa. It connects two major  economies in the southern hemisphere to enable leisure tourism, and to facilitate business, networking, and trade.

The SAA and Gol codeshare agreement covers flights between Cape Town International, OR Tambo International, and Rio de Janeiro’s Galeão-Antonio Carlos Jobim International Airport. It also includes domestic routes, linking Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, and Gqeberha, offering Brazilian travelers easy access to South Africa’s four major economic centers. Additionally, SAA can now place its code on over 20 connecting flights operated by Gol in Brazil, including destinations such as Rio de Janeiro, Brasília, Curitiba, Porto Alegre, Belo Horizonte, and Florianópolis.

Looking ahead, the airlines plan to expand the agreement to include 60 more destinations across Latin America and Africa, providing travelers with extensive options and simplifying the process of planning multi-city itineraries under a single SAA/Gol codeshare ticket.

The agreement also allows passengers to earn SAA Voyager Miles and Gol Smiles.

Head of Alliances and Distribution at Gol, Mr André Gaspar says, “We are extremely pleased to reactivate this agreement with SAA and to contribute to strengthening relationships between Brazil and Africa. The partnership marks significant expansion in destination options for Gol customers. It provides access to many of Africa’s most enchanting destinations and allows Gol customers to depart our main bases and reach two of the most important cities in South Africa, via Guarulhos that’s part of the Sao Paulo metro region.”

“The reinstatement of the codeshare agreement with Gol Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes affirms the return of SAA as an intercontinental service provider,” added Tsimane. “It comes six months after SAA launched direct flights into São Paulo and a few weeks after the launch of direct flights into Perth, Australia. 

“SAA is providing the market with enhanced connectivity and travel options, not only domestically and continentally, but between Africa, Latin America, and Australia, too. This codeshare agreement, along with direct intercontinental flight offerings, points to SAA’s determination to connect people, businesses, and destinations to enable national, regional, and continental growth. It is an essential component of the airline’s measured and determined return to profitability.”