At Lisbon Airport, ANA Aeroportos welcomes Brazilian airline GOL on its first route to Europe

ANA | VINCI Airports today marked the arrival of GOL at Humberto Delgado Airport in Lisbon, a milestone that strengthens air connectivity between Portugal and Brazil and reinforces Lisbon Airport’s position as one of the main European gateways to the Brazilian market.

The new direct route between Lisbon and Rio de Janeiro represents a significant expansion of the options available to passengers and highlights the attractiveness of the Portuguese market to international airlines.

The service launches with four weekly frequencies and is expected to further strengthen tourism, economic and cultural ties between the two countries.

Brazil is currently Lisbon Airport’s largest international market. In 2025, the airport handled approximately 2.8 million passengers travelling to or from Brazil, representing an increase of 7.8% compared with the previous year. This positive trend has continued into 2026, with passenger traffic up 7.9% compared with the same period in 2025.

“Every new route is much more than an air link. It is a new bridge connecting people, communities, businesses and opportunities. And when that bridge connects Portugal and Brazil, its significance is even greater. GOL’s choice of Lisbon as its entry point into Europe reinforces Lisbon Airport’s strategic role as an international gateway and demonstrates the attractiveness of the Portuguese market. This route is the result of the commitment of our ANA | VINCI Airports teams, GOL and all the partners and organisations involved throughout this process, to whom we are very grateful,” said Karen Strougo, Chief Commercial Officer at ANA | VINCI Airports.

ANA | VINCI Airports remains committed to developing Portugal’s air connectivity by promoting new strategic routes, offering passengers more travel options and contributing to the sustainable growth of tourism and the national economy. GOL’s arrival marks another step forward in this strategy and further strengthens the longstanding and growing ties between Portugal and Brazil.

The launch of this new route comes at a time of significant investment by ANA | VINCI Airports at Lisbon Airport. Through its UPGRADE programme, a series of projects to modernise and improve airport infrastructure is underway, aimed at delivering greater comfort, enhanced operational efficiency and an improved passenger experience. This simultaneous focus on connectivity and infrastructure modernisation reflects ANA | VINCI Airports’ ambition to further establish Lisbon as one of Europe’s leading international gateways.