GOL Linhas Aéreas, Brazil’s largest domestic carrier, unveiled its high-season network on 28 October, spotlighting a sharp capacity increase for João Pessoa—one of Northeast Brazil’s fastest-growing beach and meetings destinations. Between December 2025 and February 2026 the airline will operate 1,483 landings and take-offs at Presidente Castro Pinto Airport, up from 1,181 the previous summer. Seat supply jumps 26 % to 275,000.
The extra frequencies will beef up João Pessoa’s connectivity with Brasília, Rio de Janeiro (Galeão), Salvador and São Paulo (Congonhas). More significantly, GOL confirmed that its Buenos Aires – Aeroparque service, launched as a seasonal test last year, will return as the Paraíba state capital’s first and only scheduled international route. The move positions João Pessoa to capture Argentine beach traffic that historically funnels through Recife or Natal, while giving local exporters one-stop access to GOL’s South Cone cargo network.
For hoteliers and convention centres, the capacity surge is timely. Brazil’s Tourism Ministry projects a 12 % rise in foreign arrivals to the Northeast in early 2026, helped by the weaker real and expanded Argentine air links. With load factors on last season’s João Pessoa flights averaging 87 %, GOL believes demand can absorb the 56,000 extra seats without heavy discounting. The carrier will deploy Boeing 737-MAX 8 aircraft offering 176 seats and lower per-trip fuel burn—critical as jet-A prices hover near record highs.
Travel-management companies (TMCs) servicing tech outsourcers and renewable-energy firms in Paraíba say the added Brasília flights, in particular, will shorten door-to-door times for federal-government engagements. Meanwhile, Argentine business travelers gain weekend access to new resort developments south of João Pessoa that court MICE groups.
From a regulatory angle, the expansion also tests the region’s airport infrastructure. ANAC imposed frequency caps on seven regional airports earlier this month for safety upgrades, but João Pessoa escaped restrictions after completing runway lighting works. State officials now plan to instal e-gates and enhance customs staffing to handle the international operation before peak arrivals in January.
The extra frequencies will beef up João Pessoa’s connectivity with Brasília, Rio de Janeiro (Galeão), Salvador and São Paulo (Congonhas). More significantly, GOL confirmed that its Buenos Aires – Aeroparque service, launched as a seasonal test last year, will return as the Paraíba state capital’s first and only scheduled international route. The move positions João Pessoa to capture Argentine beach traffic that historically funnels through Recife or Natal, while giving local exporters one-stop access to GOL’s South Cone cargo network.
For hoteliers and convention centres, the capacity surge is timely. Brazil’s Tourism Ministry projects a 12 % rise in foreign arrivals to the Northeast in early 2026, helped by the weaker real and expanded Argentine air links. With load factors on last season’s João Pessoa flights averaging 87 %, GOL believes demand can absorb the 56,000 extra seats without heavy discounting. The carrier will deploy Boeing 737-MAX 8 aircraft offering 176 seats and lower per-trip fuel burn—critical as jet-A prices hover near record highs.
Travel-management companies (TMCs) servicing tech outsourcers and renewable-energy firms in Paraíba say the added Brasília flights, in particular, will shorten door-to-door times for federal-government engagements. Meanwhile, Argentine business travelers gain weekend access to new resort developments south of João Pessoa that court MICE groups.
From a regulatory angle, the expansion also tests the region’s airport infrastructure. ANAC imposed frequency caps on seven regional airports earlier this month for safety upgrades, but João Pessoa escaped restrictions after completing runway lighting works. State officials now plan to instal e-gates and enhance customs staffing to handle the international operation before peak arrivals in January.
