Salvador Bahia Airport announces new GOL connection bank

Salvador Bahia Airport, part of the VINCI Airports network, now has a new connection bank from GOL Linhas Aéreas. To further strengthen the region’s connectivity, the airline announced this Tuesday (31), at a special event held at Palacete Tira Chapéu — one of the most symbolic landmarks in the city — the expansion of its air network from the airport of the Bahian capital.

For the second quarter of 2026, GOL expands its offer with the creation of a new time window with connecting flights at Salvador Bahia Airport, that is, flights scheduled at strategic times to allow better connectivity with GOL’s network for those arriving in and/or departing from Salvador. The implementation of this second hub results in a 28% increase in seat capacity when comparing April 2026 to April 2025.

The new structure adds to the first connection bank already in operation at the airport, with departures between 2:30 p.m. and 3:10 p.m. In total, from Salvador, GOL already serves 22 destinations, including international operations to Buenos Aires. This flow expands connection options for travel throughout the Northeast, ensuring greater convenience and efficiency for passengers.

The second connection bank at Salvador Airport will take place during the night period, between 10:40 p.m. and 11:55 p.m., strategically increasing flight frequency to nine destinations: São Paulo/Congonhas (CGH), Belo Horizonte (CNF), Natal (NAT), Vitória (VIX), Maceió (MCZ), Recife (REC), Fortaleza (FOR), Campina Grande (CPV), in Paraíba, and Petrolina (PNZ), in Pernambuco.

In addition to Renata Fonseca and Marcos Almeida, vice president of Institutional and Government Relations and Commercial Manager of GOL, respectively, the event was attended by Julio Ribas, CEO of VINCI Airports in Brazil, and Maurício Bacelar, Secretary of Tourism of the State of Bahia.

The creation of this new connection bank provides a direct increase in frequencies with significant growth, demonstrating GOL’s strength in the region: 44 additional departures per week will be added to the airline’s network in Salvador, offering more schedule options for destinations already served from the Bahian capital.

GOL’s investment in Salvador reinforces a trend already observed during the current summer high season. Between December 2025 and February 2026, the number of landings and takeoffs in SSA increased from 6,350 to 7,620, resulting in an increase of 1,270 flights, representing a growth of 20%. Likewise, the number of seats rose from 1,152,000 to 1,400,000, an increase of approximately 250,000 seats (22%).

“Air connectivity has a fundamental importance in the development of tourism. As a result of the partnership between the Government of Bahia and GOL, we expanded the state’s connectivity with this new hub from the airline. This represents an increase in tourist flow and opens opportunities for visitors to experience the 13 tourist zones of Bahia. Actions like this by the State Government, combined with the training of workers and entrepreneurs in the sector, infrastructure works, and the promotion of the destination at regional, national, and international levels, have placed Bahia in a leading position in Brazilian tourism,” stated the Secretary of Tourism of Bahia, Maurício Bacelar.

“Salvador is central to GOL’s strategy and, with the implementation of this second hub, we consolidate the Bahian capital as a fundamental pillar of connectivity in the country. The partnership with the Government of Bahia and with Vinci is key for us to grow our offer at a pace almost twice that of the industry. This expansion, both in the number of flights and in time windows, will directly impact key sectors of the local economy, such as services, business, and tourism, generating a very positive socioeconomic impact in the city and the region. In this way, we further reinforce our commitment to strengthening intra-Northeast flow and offering a more efficient and robust travel experience throughout Brazil,” commented Renata Fonseca, Vice President of Institutional and Government Relations at GOL.

“The new connection bank reinforces Salvador’s positioning as one of the main air hubs in the Northeast and boosts its role in regional development, with direct impacts on tourism and the local economy. By facilitating access and bringing different markets closer together, we expand opportunities for more passengers to choose the Bahian capital both as a final destination and as a strategic connection point to other regions of the country,” said Julio Ribas, CEO of VINCI Airports in Brazil.

Main photo: Disclosure/GOL