Gol Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes (G3, São Paulo Congonhas) and equity partner Air France-KLM Royal Dutch Airlines have settled on Fortaleza to be their joint hub in northeastern Brazil following a selection process that included Salvador and Recife.

The Franco-Dutch carrier said in a joint statement on Monday, September 25, that to reinforce Fortaleza's position as their third destination in Brazil, effective May 2018, it would be connecting Fortaleza with Amsterdam Schiphol via a 3x weekly KLM service, and Paris CDG via a 2x weekly service operated by Air France's budget brand, Joon (JN, Paris CDG).

From Fortaleza, Air France-KLM passengers will have access to Gol's extensive Brazilian network which includes cities in the North and North East of Brazil such as Belém, Manaus, Natal Aluizio Alves, Recife, and Salvador.

"We are going to improve our network in Fortaleza to provide fast and efficient connections with Air France and KLM flights," Paulo Kakinoff, President of GOL, said. "We will adjust the schedules and increase the offer to Recife, Salvador, Belém and Manaus, as well as a new route to Natal and we will offer clients traveling from the north and northeast to Europe, or for those who come to visit Brazil, an experience with several benefits at every stage of the trip. This is another important step we take in our strategic partnership, which has been in place for three years."

Air France-KLM and Gol have a similar partnership in place for connections at São Paulo Guarulhos and Rio de Janeiro Int'l.