Abra Group

Abra Group is a Latin American air transport holding company, created in 2022 from a merger of the shareholders of the Brazilian low-cost airline GOL Linhas Aéreas and the Colombian Avianca Group.^[1][2][3] It is the second largest aviation group in Latin America after LATAM Airlines Group. The group also owns the Spanish charter airline Wamos Air.^[4]

Abra Group was announced on May 11, 2022, when the main shareholders of Avianca and the controlling shareholder of GOL entered into an agreement to create a Latin American air transportation holding company called Abra Group Limited. The objective of the strategy was to control both Avianca and GOL and bring their brands together under a single group, leveraging operational, financial, and route network synergies, without merging the brands or the operations of the two airlines.^[5][6]

At the time of the announcement, the group also planned to include economic interests in Viva Air Colombia and Viva Air Perú) and a minority investment, through convertible debt, in Chilean carrier Sky Airline. However, the agreement between Avianca and Viva Air was eventually terminated in 2023, following regulatory hurdles and the financial crisis faced by the Colombian low-cost carrier, which suspended its operations before the merger could be completed.^[7][8]

The initial leadership of the Abra Group included Roberto Kriete as chairman, one of the founding figures of TACA International Airlines and Avianca Holdings, and Constantino de Oliveira Júnior, founder of GOL Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes, as chief executive officer (CEO). The group's registered headquarters were established in the United Kingdom, with an operational and strategic focus across Latin America.^[9]

In January 2024, the Abra Group announced the start of negotiations for the acquisition of Wamos Air, a Spanish airline specialized in wet-lease (aircraft leasing with crew) and charter flights. The transaction was part of the Group's international expansion strategy, focusing on strengthening its presence in Europe and increasing its wide-body aircraft offering for long-haul operations.^[10]

During the evaluation process, the Abra Group highlighted Wamos Air's strategic role in the ACMI (Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance and Insurance) market — a segment that had been experiencing strong demand following the post-pandemic recovery of air transport. The Spanish airline operated a fleet composed mainly of Airbus A330-200 and A330-300 aircraft, serving major carriers in Europe, the Americas and the Middle East.^[11]

In July 2024, the Abra Group signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Airbus for the acquisition of five Airbus A350-900 aircraft. The wide-body, long-range model was chosen to expand the group's intercontinental connectivity, enabling new routes between South America and Europe.^[12] The MoU announcement explicitly highlighted that the Abra Group was also making a strategic investment in Wamos Air, thereby associating the A350-900 order with the Spanish wet-lease and charter operator and its planned integration into the group’s fleet structure.^[13]

In October 2024, the Abra Group completed the acquisition of Wamos Air.^[14][15] The airline retained its brand and independent operations, while being operationally integrated into the Abra Group to provide flexibility in ACMI contracts and serve both the group's airline needs and those of third parties.^[16]

In 2021, Sky Airline issued a convertible debt instrument, valued at approximately US$70–100 million, as part of its post‑pandemic financing strategy. Abra Group acquired (or later assumed) this debt, with an option to convert it into an equity stake of up to 40–41% of SKY Airline. Despite the investment, the majority shareholders of Sky — the Paulmann Mast family — retained control of the company and its independent operations.^[17]

In May 2023, the CEO of GOL Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes stated that SKY might eventually join the Abra Group, signalling that negotiations were underway.^[18]

By mid‑2025 the negotiations were progressing, but had not yet resulted in a full acquisition, although the convertible debt could be transformed into an equity stake under the terms of the agreement. For the Abra Group, integrating SKY Airline would entail a stronger presence in Chile and Peru, complementing the group's regional coverage, albeit facing resistance from the majority‑holding family toward a full sale of the airline.^[19][20]

In October 2025, amid reports of potential pressure on SKY Airline shareholders to either sell the airline entirely or convert debt into an equity stake, Abra Group filed an application with the Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil (DGAC) of Chile for an Air Operator Certificate (AOC) for NG Servicios Aéreos, a company focused on non‑scheduled operations, including charter and ACMI flights, based in Santiago de Chile.^[21]

Subsequently, photos on social media showed the airline's first aircraft, a Boeing 737‑800 from GOL Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes, with the Chilean aeronautical registration CC-DNU and the phrase "Operated by NG Servicios Aéreos" on the fuselage, in the maintenance hangar of the Brazilian airline in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The establishment of the Chilean airline was interpreted as a strategic move by Abra Group to establish an operational base in Chile, while simultaneously applying leverage in ongoing negotiations with SKY regarding a potential integration into the group.^[22]

As of November 2025, the fleet of Abra Group is composed of aircraft from the manufacturers Airbus and Boeing, reflecting the combined operations of the group's two main airlines, GOL Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes and Avianca Group. The fleet primarily includes narrow-body aircraft, such as the Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 MAX, used on domestic and regional routes, as well as wide-body aircraft for medium and long-haul flights, such as the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

• List of airline holding companies