Brasília will have direct flights to Bogotá from October | Brazil

A new international flight option – departing from Brasília International Airport – was announced by the Brazilian government. It is the city of Bogotá, capital of Colombia. From October 27th, the two capitals will be connected by a direct flight, initially with three weekly flights, round trip. Travel time is approximately five hours.

The measure is part of the acts signed during President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s official visit to Colombia. He met with Colombian President Gustavo Petro, in Bogotá, this Wednesday (17).

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MRE), the protocol of intentions for the new route was signed between the companies Gol Linhas Aéreas and Avianca. The negotiations also involved the government of the Federal District and the company Inframérica, the concessionaire that manages Brasília airport. These new flights should connect travelers from Colombia to more than 30 Brazilian cities, while passengers who board in Brasília will be able to enjoy another 30 destinations departing from Bogotá.

Flow

Brasília International Airport is the third largest air terminal in terms of passenger movement in Brazil. Between arrivals, departures and connections, the Brasília terminal ended 2023 with a flow of 14.8 million passengers, behind only the Guarulhos and Congonhas airports, in São Paulo, according to data from the concessionaire.

Considered one of the main Brazilian hubs, it is possible to travel from the Brasília terminal, without stops, to all Brazilian capitals. In total, according to Inframérica, there are 38 national destinations and six international destinations: Buenos Aires (Argentina), Lisbon (Portugal), Lima (Peru), Panama City (Panama), Miami (USA) and Orlando (USA) . In June, direct flights to Santiago (Chile) are scheduled to begin, which will place Bogotá as the eighth international destination made available by the federal capital’s passenger terminal.

Outside the Rio-São Paulo axis, Brasília airport is the one that moves the most passengers abroad. Currently, it is the third Brazilian terminal with the highest flow of international flight passengers, behind only Guarulhos and Galeão Airport, in Rio de Janeiro.

In addition to the announcement of the new international flight, the Brazilian government signed memorandums of understanding with the Colombian government’s ministry and tourism agency to promote tourist exchange between the two countries.

Yesterday (17), during a business forum with investors from both countries, the Colombian president stated that Brazil sends around 140 thousand tourists per year to Colombia, while just over 100 thousand Colombian tourists visit Brazil annually. The numbers, according to him, are far below the tourist potential of the two most populous countries in South America.