The Airbus A350 and Boeing 787 are vying to replace the ageing long-haul fleet of Gol's VRG division, but executives are not planning a hasty transition to the new aircraft type.
Gol last year acquired the former Brazilian flag carrier Varig - now dubbed VRG - and subsequently relaunched flights with Boeing 767-300ERs from Sao Paulo to London, Paris and Rome, with a connecting service to Frankfurt. Flights to Mexico City started this month, and operations to Madrid and New York are beginning in the coming months.
Gol revised downwards VRG's planned long-haul fleet for this year from 16 to 14 767-300ERs. The company's chief financial officer Richard Lark says that Gol needs to have "good understanding" of VRG's long-haul markets before beginning its fleet replacement analysis.
He adds that the second half of the year could be an "interesting" time to make a decision regarding the replacement, with the 787 and the "Airbus equivalent" being examined.
Lark stresses, however, that Gol "will move conservatively" in its VRG fleet revamp.
Previously, Gol president Constantino de Oliveira Jr had said there was no immediate rush to make a decision, since the aircraft would be unlikely to join VRG's fleet before 2015.
Meanwhile VRG has dropped plans to launch services from Sao Paulo to Miami after determining the route is not commercially viable.
Source: FlightGlobal.com
