TAAG Angola Airlines and Brazil’s GOL Linhas Aéreas announced the signing of a Special Prorate Agreement (SPA), allowing Angola’s flagship carrier to incorporate GOL’s destinations in the Americas into its cargo network and portfolio.
Earlier this year, TAAG Angola and GOL signed a codeshare agreement offering their customers more destinations and enhanced connectivity. Now, both carriers have extended their partnership by signing the SPA exclusively dedicated to the cargo segment. GOL Linhas Aéreas currently operates a fleet of four Boeing 737-800BCFs (Boeing Converted Freighters) and even has an agreement with the e-commerce giant Mercado Livre, which has expanded the company’s footprint in the cargo business.
Photo: GOL.
By partnering up with GOL, TAAG is expanding cargo routes, assuring a wider geographic coverage, and becoming more competitive overall, the airline said in a statement. TAAG will be able to increase the volume of cargo transported yearly while reaching new customers and contracts. The Angolan airline is eligible to use hold baggage space on GOL’s commercial flights and freighters on the Brazilian airline’s domestic and regional routes.
TAAG said this partnership is especially relevant due to the current cargo corridor between Europe and Latin America via Luanda International Airport (LAD), particularly documents, small cargo, mail, e-commerce orders, and more.
Currently, TAAG’s cargo business covers multiple destinations in Africa, including Angola, Mozambique, São Tomé, Namibia, Nigeria, and Kenya, Europe (Portugal, Spain, France, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, and Italy), and the Americas (Brazil and Cuba). With the new partnership signed with GOL, TAAG can also incorporate GOL’s multiple destinations.
A strong partnership
Currently, TAAG has five weekly flights connecting São Paulo and Luanda. The company expects to add a sixth frequency in August 2023. The new Special Prorate Agreement will benefit corporate and industrial clusters, giving them more options and convenience from TAAG’s cargo services.
Photo: Thiago B Trevisan/Shutterstock.
The airline’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Eduardo Fairen, said,
“The cargo business is essential for TAAG's competitiveness and sustainability, while it is also strategic to position Luanda as an important hub in the region. The partnership with GOL is a window of opportunity to reach new destinations in Brazil and Latin America. Aside from that, many economies throughout the southern hemisphere will benefit from the TAAG/GOL collaborative approach.”
During 2022’s fourth quarter, GOL added a fourth 737-800BCF to its fleet. The airline expects to add at least two additional freighters to its fleet and could even expand it to 12 planes in the coming months and next year. Overall, the Brazilian carrier has 144 aircraft, all Boeing 737-based, including 19 737-700s, 83 737-800s, 38 737 MAX 8s, and four 737-800(BCF)s.
TAAG Angola Airlines has a fleet of 22 aircraft. The flagship Angolan carrier operates one Airbus A330-200, one A340-300, five Boeing 737-700s, one 737-700(QC), three 777-200ERs, five 777-300ERs, and six De Havilland DHC-8-Q400s. According to data from Cirium, TAAG Angola currently operates about 290 weekly flights. The company’s most important routes are Luanda-Cabinda, Luanda-Lisbon, and Luanda-Catumbela, with 28, 14, and 11 weekly flights, respectively.
What do you think about this new partnership between TAAG Angola Airlines and GOL Linhas Aéreas? Let us know in the comments below.
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