Brazil’s three largest carriers—Latam, Gol and Azul—have activated emergency fare-flexibility policies for flights to and from Rio de Janeiro after a large-scale police operation left more than 120 people dead in the Complexo do Alemão and Penha favelas on 28 October.
Under the policies, passengers booked on services to Galeão (GIG) or Santos Dumont (SDU) between 28 and 30 October may rebook once without penalty or request credit/refund, subject to seat availability. Latam is waiving both change fees and fare differences, while Gol and Azul allow free rebooking but may charge fare differences for travel outside the original ticket’s validity.
The carriers said the measures aim to provide "maximum flexibility" amid passenger concerns over ground-transport safety and potential checkpoint closures on access roads to both airports. Operations at both terminals remain normal, but airlines have increased minimum recommended arrival times to two hours for domestic and three hours for international departures.
Travel-risk consultants advise employers with staff transiting through Rio to review duty-of-care protocols, arrange vetted airport transfers and monitor curfews that may be imposed in affected neighbourhoods. Companies should also update travel-approval workflows to flag itineraries involving GIG or SDU during the waiver period.
The episode is the latest reminder that urban-security incidents can quickly affect corporate travel logistics in Brazil, despite no formal aviation or immigration restrictions being issued.
Under the policies, passengers booked on services to Galeão (GIG) or Santos Dumont (SDU) between 28 and 30 October may rebook once without penalty or request credit/refund, subject to seat availability. Latam is waiving both change fees and fare differences, while Gol and Azul allow free rebooking but may charge fare differences for travel outside the original ticket’s validity.
The carriers said the measures aim to provide "maximum flexibility" amid passenger concerns over ground-transport safety and potential checkpoint closures on access roads to both airports. Operations at both terminals remain normal, but airlines have increased minimum recommended arrival times to two hours for domestic and three hours for international departures.
Travel-risk consultants advise employers with staff transiting through Rio to review duty-of-care protocols, arrange vetted airport transfers and monitor curfews that may be imposed in affected neighbourhoods. Companies should also update travel-approval workflows to flag itineraries involving GIG or SDU during the waiver period.
The episode is the latest reminder that urban-security incidents can quickly affect corporate travel logistics in Brazil, despite no formal aviation or immigration restrictions being issued.
