PURSUANT TO RULE 13a-16 OR 15d-16 OF THE
Jd. Aeroporto
04630-000 São Paulo, São Paulo
Federative Republic of Brazil
annual reports under cover Form 20-F or Form 40-F.
Form 20-F ___X___ Form 40-F ______
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant by furnishing the
information contained in this Form is also thereby furnishing the
information to the Commission pursuant to Rule 12g3-2(b) under
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
Yes ______ No ___X___
registrant in connection with Rule 12g3-2(b):
GOL and Iberia Sign Code-Share Agreement
São Paulo, October 20, 2009 – GOL Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes S.A. (Bovespa: GOLL4 and NYSE: GOL), the largest low-cost and low-fare airline in Latin America, and Iberia, Spain’s largest air transport group, announced today that the companies have signed a code-share agreement. The companies are also evaluating the possibility of linking their frequent flyer programs, GOL’s SMILES and Iberia’s Plus.
Under the code-share agreement, Iberia can add its IATA code to GOL flights from Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo to 13 Brazilian destinations: Belo Horizonte, Brasília, Curitiba, Florianópolis, Fortaleza, Foz do Iguaçu, Goiânia, Manaus, Natal, Porto Alegre, Recife, Salvador and Vitória. Iberia passengers will benefit from more flight connection options throughout Brazil, while the agreement provides an additional sales channel for GOL, increasing passenger traffic and load factor for the Brazilian carrier.
Headquartered in Madrid, Iberia offers two direct daily flights between Spain’s capital and São Paulo (Guarulhos Airport) as well as one direct daily flight to Rio de Janeiro (Galeão Airport), operating Airbus A340-600 and A340-300 aircraft. Iberia is Spain’s largest air carrier group and the fourth-largest in Europe. It is also the leading airline of Europe and Latin America routes, with the most flight options and destinations.
In compliance with standard regulation requirements, GOL will submit the contract to the National Civil Aviation Agency (Anac), the Brazilian aviation authority, and to the Brazilian Antitrust Agency (Cade), the antitrust counsel, for their evaluation before implementing the agreement.
| About GOL Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes S.A. | ||
| CONTACT: | ||
GOL Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes S.A. (NYSE: GOL and Bovespa: GOLL4), the largest low-cost and low-fare airline in Latin America, offers around 800 daily flights to 49 destinations that connect all the important cities in Brazil and ten major destinations in South America and Caribbean. The Company operates a young, modern fleet of Boeing 737 Next Generation aircraft, the safest and most comfortable of its class, with high aircraft utilization and efficiency levels. Fully committed to seeking innovative solutions through the use of cutting- edge technology, the Company - via its GOL, VARIG, GOLLOG, SMILES and VOE FÁCIL brands - offers its clients easy payment facilities, a wide range of complementary services and the best cost-benefit ratio in the market. | ||
| Investor Relations | ||
| Leonardo Pereira - CFO and IRO | ||
| Rodrigo Alves – Head of IR | ||
| Phone.: (55 11) 2128-4700 | ||
| E-mail: ri@golnaweb.com.br | ||
| Website: www.voegol.com.br/ir | ||
| Twitter : www.twitter.com/GOLInvest | ||
| Corporate Communications | ||
| Phone.: (55 11) 2128-4413 | ||
| E-mail: comcorp@golnaweb.com.br | ||
| Twitter : www.twitter.com/GOLcomunicacao | ||
| Media Relations | This release contains forward-looking statements relating to the prospects of the business, estimates for operating and financial results, and those related to growth prospects of GOL. These are merely projections and, as such, are based exclusively on the expectations of GOL’s management concerning the future of the business and its continued access to capital to fund the Company’s business plan. Such forward- looking statements depend, substantially, on changes in market conditions, government regulations, competitive pressures, the performance of the Brazilian economy and the industry, among other factors and risks disclosed in GOL’s filed disclosure documents and are, therefore, subject to change without prior notice. | |
| Edelman (U.S and Europe): | ||
| M. Smith and N. Dean | ||
| Phone.: 1 (212) 704-8196 / 704-4484 | ||
| meaghan.smith@edelman.com or | ||
| noelle.dean@edelman.com | ||
GOL LINHAS AÉREAS INTELIGENTES S.A. |
||
By: |
/S/ Leonardo Porciúncula Gomes Pereira |
|
Name: Leonardo Porciúncula Gomes Pereira
Title: Executive Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer |
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This press release may contain forward-looking statements. These statements are statements that are not historical facts, and are based on management's current view and estimates offuture economic circumstances, industry conditions, company performance and financial results. The words "anticipates", "believes", "estimates", "expects", "plans" and similar expressions, as they relate to the company, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Statements regarding the declaration or payment of dividends, the implementation of principal operating and financing strategies and capital expenditure plans, the direction of future operations and the factors or trends affecting financial condition, liquidity or results of operations are examples of forward-looking statements. Such statements reflect the current views of management and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. There is no guarantee that the expected events, trends or results will a ctually occur. The statements are based on many assumptions and factors, including general economic and market conditions, industry conditions, and operating factors. Any changes in such assumptions or factors could cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations.