LATAM Airlines announced on 22 November that it will reopen its Juiz de Fora/ Zona da Mata base in May 2026, reviving a daily flight to São Paulo-Guarulhos (GRU) that was suspended earlier this year. The decision follows months of lobbying by local industry groups who warned that the loss of nonstop connectivity was deterring investment and complicating corporate mobility in the Zona da Mata textile and steel belt.
The reinstated service will use Airbus A320 aircraft and feed more than 140 onward connections at GRU, ranging from New York and Madrid to Manaus and Porto Alegre. LATAM’s network team says demand modelling shows a 17 % increase in corporate travel enquiries since July, helped by the state government’s aviation‐fuel tax incentives and planned expansion of Mercedes-Benz’s Juiz de Fora truck plant.
![LATAM Restores Juiz de Fora–Guarulhos Link, Re-connecting Minas Gerais to Brazil’s Main Hub]()
For global mobility managers, the restored route trims door-to-door journey times by up to three hours compared with the current pattern of driving 190 km to Belo Horizonte or 280 km to Rio de Janeiro for long-haul departures. LATAM will integrate the flight into its corporate Flex fare family, allowing free date changes—an important perk for project engineers and expatriate managers covering Minas Gerais.
Airport operator Concessionária Aeroporto da Zona da Mata pledged runway-lighting upgrades and a refurbished VIP lounge ahead of the relaunch. The Minas state tourism board estimates the added capacity will inject R$ 48 million per year into the regional economy through hotel stays, car rentals and ancillary spending.
The reinstated service will use Airbus A320 aircraft and feed more than 140 onward connections at GRU, ranging from New York and Madrid to Manaus and Porto Alegre. LATAM’s network team says demand modelling shows a 17 % increase in corporate travel enquiries since July, helped by the state government’s aviation‐fuel tax incentives and planned expansion of Mercedes-Benz’s Juiz de Fora truck plant.
For global mobility managers, the restored route trims door-to-door journey times by up to three hours compared with the current pattern of driving 190 km to Belo Horizonte or 280 km to Rio de Janeiro for long-haul departures. LATAM will integrate the flight into its corporate Flex fare family, allowing free date changes—an important perk for project engineers and expatriate managers covering Minas Gerais.
Airport operator Concessionária Aeroporto da Zona da Mata pledged runway-lighting upgrades and a refurbished VIP lounge ahead of the relaunch. The Minas state tourism board estimates the added capacity will inject R$ 48 million per year into the regional economy through hotel stays, car rentals and ancillary spending.
