MONTREAL — Air Canada and Abra Group have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to pursue a long-term strategic partnership aimed at expanding connectivity between Canada, Latin America and international markets beyond.

The proposed agreement would bring together Air Canada and Abra Group, whose airline holdings include Avianca and GOL brands, to strengthen travel and cargo connections across North, Central and South America. Any final agreement remains subject to regulatory approval and the completion of definitive documentation.

If finalized, the partnership would establish a Joint Business Agreement on select Canada–Latin America routes, expand codeshare cooperation across the Americas and beyond, including for travel between Latin America and other international markets via Canadian gateways, and provide more seamless travel through coordinated airport services, smoother connections, aligned baggage policies and improved disruption management. It would also enable greater cargo collaboration in support of growing trade flows. 

Said Mark Galardo, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, and President of Cargo at Air Canada: “Air Canada and Abra Group are building the foundations for an enhanced partnership that will further unlock the Americas. With Latin America acting as a fast-growing and strategic component of Air Canada’s global presence, our customers to and from the region have long benefited from existing codeshare partnerships with Abra Group.

“Building from a highly complementary presence across the Americas, this Memorandum of Understanding between our world-class airlines creates a pathway to further bolster our partnership, improve the customer experience, and enhance global connectivity. We look forward to working alongside Abra Group to deliver meaningful value to our customers and partners.”

Mary-Jane Lorette, Vice President, Revenue Management, Partnerships and International Affairs at Air Canada, added that the agreement comes as Air Canada continues to expand its Latin American network, adding capacity and new routes in key markets across the region.

“The Canada–South America market is accelerating, and we are investing to capture this momentum, expanding into key markets such as Lima, Santiago and Rio de Janeiro, with further growth ahead in Quito while building on our strong foundation with Avianca through Star Alliance and our long-standing collaboration with GOL to shape connectivity across the Americas and unlock greater value for our customers,” she said.

For more information, go to www.aircanada.com.

Lead image caption: Adrian Neuhauser, Abra Group CEO (left) and Michael Rousseau, President and CEO of Air Canada