American Airlines will launch flights between Miami and Manaus in June 2012 after receiving approval from the US Department of Transportation (DOT) to further expand links to Brazil from the US. The airline filed an application in April this year for the right to fly ten additional weekly flights between the countries, including serving the new Miami – Manaus route and increasing the frequency of its current service from Miami to Brasilia and Belo Horizonte.

The request followed the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Brazilian and US aviation authorities in March which should lead to the full liberalisation of air services between the two countries. At the moment restrictions remain in place under the transitional arrangement, but by 2013 all legislative barriers could be removed, including the opening of rights to fly to the likes of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo.

There are currently more than 210 weekly flights between the two countries providing over 52,000 seats in each direction. American Airlines already offers service on nine routes and accounts for the largest share of traffic between the two destinations with 30.6 per cent of the estimated 3.8 million O&D passengers that travelled between the two countries last year. This is an expanding market, up 22.7 per cent on the previous year and Delta Air Lines, TAM Airlines and US Airways have already announced plans to add further flights.

American Airlines plans to offer a four times weekly service between Miami and Manaus from June 14, 2012 using a Boeing 737-800. TAM Airlines already offers a daily schedule on the route using a widebodied 767-300ER. In the past year an estimated 99,000 O&D passengers flew on the route.