Brazilian airline Gol will launch a new direct route between São Paulo and Quito, with three weekly flights taking off from December.

The announcement is the result of several months of discussions and planning involving the airline, the Ecuadorian government, the municipality of Quito and Corporación Quiport as concessionaire of Mariscal Sucre Airport.

The airline will operate the new route on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays using new generation aircraft Boeing 737 Max 8.

“The new route is part of Gol’s international expansion strategy; starting in December we expanded Gol’s operations to ten countries in South America, the Caribbean and the United States.

“Flights to Quito complement the destinations we already offer, and make possible the connectivity of our Ecuadorian clients with the 700 daily flights of our company and other operations of associated airlines,” said Gol vice president of planning, Celso Ferrer.

For the minister of tourism of Ecuador, Enrique Ponce De León, the arrival of this important airline to Ecuador means connecting two countries that have much to share in tourism.

“We are grateful for the trust in our country and we are sure it will be a successful operation.

“We show our absolute willingness to generate joint promotion strategies, promoting Ecuador as a destination in Brazil thanks to this new route,” added the minister.

The talks between GOL and Quiport made a decisive breakthrough during Routes Americas 2018, the largest continental-scale route development event that took place in Quito last February.