A sales executive from Korean Airlines declared recently that the company is contemplating the possibility of launching new flights to Brazil via Europe. Korean Airlines currently flies three times a week from Seoul to São Paulo via Los Angeles. The news is from Mercado e Eventos and we heard of it on Contato Radar.

Aviação Brasil published recently a note in Spanish with figures for business travel in Brazil during 2011. According to the website, during 2011 56,9% of all air travel in Brazil was business travel. Corporate travel has a considerable impact on tourism in Brazil.

Viracopos airport in Campinas, state of São Paulo, received a new blow with the announcement by Portuguese airline Tap that will cease its Lisbon to Campinas flight in October 2012. A short while ago Uruguay airline Pluna made a similar announcement (Pluna to suspend temporarily its Montevideo to Campinas flight).

Campinas airport witnessed dramatic growth over the last decade (the incredible growth of Viracopos airport, in São Paulo). Due mainly to the incompetence of the airport authorities, who haven’t made the right moves to respond to the increasing demand, the airport is losing now its main international flights.

Airlines Tam and Aeromexico have signed a code-share agreement involving domestic flights operated by both companies. The agreement came into effect on 23 April.

Tam passengers flying to Mexico City will be able to transfer to connecting flights operated by Aeromexico.

Likewise, Aeromexico passengers arriving in São Paulo will be able to fly to other parts of Brazil on any of Tam’s domestic flights.

Qatar Airways, the best airline in the world according to the Skytrax index, is running a promotion on its website offering up to 25% of all-inclusive fares. The promotion is valid only for purchases made until 19 April. It involves both economomy and business class and flights between 20 April and 6 June.

We ran a quick search and found excellent fares departing from São Paulo (prices do not include taxes): Dubai for USD 1,020, Tokyo for USD 1,130, Singapore or Beijing for USD 1,190, Bangkok, Hong Kong or New Delhi for USD 1,250 and Bali or Hanoi for USD 1,370. Pay attention to the rules. The tariff is WPROMO o ZPROMO: minimum stay on destination of 3 days, maximum of 30 days. No stopover allowed. No alterations allowed. There is a 300 USD for cancellation – to be made before the date of the outward journey.

The promotion excludes the flight between Buenos Aires and São Paulo.

It is definitely not news, but an official report by Brazilian IPEA reveals that 17 out of the 20 main Brazilian airports are either on a “worrying” or “critical” situation: Maior parte dos aeroportos brasileiros está em situação crítica, diz Ipea. The study quotes the economic growth of the last decade and the lack of investment on the field. And quotes the examples of Guarulhos international airport in São Paulo, operating at 121% of its capacity or Congonhas domestic airport, also in São Paulo, operating at 141% (does anybody recall the promises made after the tragic accident of Tam’s Airbus at Congonhas airport?).

The World Cup is no longer 7 years away. We are in 2012 and few things have changed at the Brazilian airports since the announcement of the world cup was made. A massive lost opportunity is in the making.

A year ago we mentioned how Taca were studying new destinations in Brazil.

Now an announcement is being made. From May, the Central American airline intends to operate four weekly flights from Juan Santamaría international airport in San José, Costa Rica, to Brasilia, the capital of Brazil.

At the same time we learn that, from 2 June, the airline is cancelling its Brasilia to Lima (Peru) flight.

Uruguayan airline Pluna, currently flying from Montevideo to Viracopos international airport in Campinas, state of São Paulo, will suspend the flight from 11 April till 30 June. The company puts forward technical reasons for the temporary cancellation of a route that had an occupancy rate above expected, so much so that the airline added a second daily flight to its Montevideo-Campinas route, a second daily service it cancelled shortly after carnival.

Consumers with tickets for the Montevideo-Campinas route will be offered either a full refund or a relocation to any of Pluna’s daily flights from Montevideo to Guarulhos international airport in São Paulo.

American Airline‘s Miami to Manaos flight (we gave details of the flight a while back at American Airlines increasing its presence in Brazil), starting on 14 June, has become a little bigger before operations even started. Rather than the four weekly flights initially announced, the new route will count seven flights a week. The information is from Contato Radar.

Those with tickets to fly with Bolivian airline Aerosur must get in touch as soon as possible with the agency from where they purchased them. The airline is on the verge of bankrupcy and has suspended flights leaving passengers grounded.