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The Brazilian airline GOL Linhas Aereas yesterday resumed its commercial services using Boeing 737 MAX. It became the first aircraft carrier to operate the troublesome narrow body again since it was grounded in March 2019. But where did it fly?
Domestic flights for the MAX
Currently, GOL only operates domestic flights in Brazil. He does not expect to fly internationally until March 2021. So, for now, all of the airline’s planes operate within Brazilian borders.
Yesterday, when GOL operated the first MAX flight in more than 20 months around the world, it flew from the Guarulhos International Airport of Sao Paulo to the city of Porto Alegre. The aircraft, registration PR-XMB, is two years old.
The flight left Sao Paulo at 08:41 local time. Since then, the plane has made ten more flights. All these flights have involved Sao Paulo in some way since GOL has connected this city with Porto Alegre, Florianópolis, Belo Horizonte and Brasilia.
Of GOL’s remaining five Boeing 737 MAXs, only two more have operated commercial flights, according to FlightRadar24.com.
These are PR-XMA and PR-XMC. The former has only made one roundtrip flight between Sao Paulo and Porto Alegre.
Meanwhile, PR-XMC has made 11 commercial flights, connecting Sao Paulo with Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, Curitiba and Florianópolis.
The MAX returned at the perfect time
GOL faces its peak season in Brazil. With summer ahead, the Brazilian airline could not have received its fleet of Boeing 737 MAXs at a better time. Now, you can deploy this additional capacity on an aircraft that is more fuel-efficient than the Boeing 737 NG.
Also, GOL is trying to increase its number of starts compared to last year. According to FlightRadar24.com, Azul has been the clear winner in Brazil in recent months. It has operated 77% of the number of departures it had between October and November 2019. Meanwhile, GOL operated at 53.2% and LATAM at 48.3%.
In addition, GOL expects to receive new Boeing 737 MAX aircraft before the end of the year. As reported by journalists in Seattle, there are at least two MAXs ready to be delivered to the Brazilian airline.
How will the airline respond to unsuspecting customers?
Many airlines around the world are already saying that customers won’t be forced to fly inside a MAX if they don’t want to. They are offering ticket changes and informing passengers about the type of plane they will be flying.
But GOL is not doing that. We went through the GOL website and there is no information on the MAX and what customers can do about it if they don’t want to be on a flight operated by the guy. Additionally, we contacted GOL for feedback. At the time of publication, we have not received a response.
But the airline is trying to reassure the flying public that the MAX is safe. Celso Ferrer, Vice President of Operations at GOL, said:
“Our first priority is always the safety of our customers. Over the past 20 months, we have watched the most comprehensive safety review in the history of commercial aviation unfold, bringing together regulatory agencies and airlines from around the world to monitor and contribute to updates to aircraft systems and the pilot training. Consequently (…), we have full confidence in the return of the MAX to the service “.
In addition, GOL trained 140 of its pilots, in collaboration with Boeing, the FAA and ANAC.
Would you like to travel inside the GOL Boeing 737 MAX? Let us know in the comments.
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