New flights take off between Miami and Brazilian city of Belém

Miami Herald

7 days ago

A new airplane route between Miami and Brazil has debuted this month as Latin America's largest economy looks to bolster ties with the Sunshine State.
GOL Linhas Aéreas started direct flights between Belém's Val-de-Cans/Júlio Cezar Ribeiro International Airport and Miami International Airport on June 15, its newest international addition.
Belém is the capital of the state Pará, which is in the north of Brazil and through which the Amazon River passes.
The most recent flight left MIA on Thursday after 9:30 a.m. following a reception and speeches by Brazilian officials. GOL is operating a Boeing 737 MAX 8 which can seat 176 passengers for the service.
Flights will occur twice a week from each airport.
On Thursdays and Sundays, flights will leave Belém at 11 p.m. local time and arrive at MIA at 4:20 a.m. Eastern time. The same two days, flights will leave MIA at 9:45 a.m. Eastern time and arrive in Belém at 4:35 p.m. local time.
In November, an additional flight will depart from MIA on Tuesdays at 1:40 a.m. Eastern time and reach Belém at 6 a.m. local time to accommodate additional travel to COP30, the United Nation's Climate Change conference, which Brazil is hosting.
Planes will leave Belém on Tuesdays at 9:10 a.m. local time and arrive at MIA at 5:20 p.m. Eastern time.
No other airlines fly this route, a Gol spokesperson said. Gol and Brazil are also trying to promote tourism in the Amazon, known for its vast rain forests, indigenous communities, biodiversity and exquisite cuisines.
In the past 18 months, at least four other new flights between Brazil and Florida have come online, according to Embratur, Brazil's tourism promotion agency, including:
▪ Azul: FLL - Belém
▪ Azul: Orlando - Belo Horizonte
▪ LATAM, Avianca: MIA - Manaus
Across the U.S., flights to Brazil have also been added in Houston, Dallas and Atlanta with carriers like American Airlines, United, Delta and LATAM flying to Brazil's largest cities.
The increase has helped spur strong growth in tourism in Brazil. Through May of this year, the country saw 4.89 million international visitors, up 49.7% from the same period in 2024.
Brazil and the U.S. have more than 200 direct commercial flights per week, up from pre-COVID19 levels, according to Embratur.
Florida still plays an oversize role for Brazilians.
Florida has more Brazilians than in any other U.S. state, André Odenbreit Carvalho, Brazil's Consul-General in Miami, said in an interview with the Herald.
He thinks the number has grown significantly.
'The tourism flow is very strong in South and Central Florida,' said Odenbreit, who attended Thursday's ceremony at MIA. But he's also seen growing communities of Brazilians settling in Tampa, Sarasota and Fort Myers among other places.
'With the cost of living, many Brazilians are trading South Florida with the Gulf Coast,' said Odenbreit.