GOL Suspends Its Florida Flights From February to March 2027 as Jet Fuel Costs Climb

GOL Linhas Aéreas is suspending its Florida flying from early February through late March 2027 as Brazilian jet-fuel costs climb, according to AeroRoutes schedule filings dated 14 October 2026 and reporting the same day from Aviacionline citing the carrier’s booking system and local coverage.

AeroRoutes lists six Boeing 737 MAX 8 routes with reservations closed for travel on or after 1 February 2027: Belém–Miami (twice weekly), Brasília–Miami (daily), Brasília–Orlando (daily), Fortaleza–Miami (twice weekly), Fortaleza–Orlando (twice weekly) and Manaus–Miami (twice weekly). The filing states GOL will not offer US service between 1 February and 27 March 2027 on those sectors, while the seasonal Rio de Janeiro Galeão–New York JFK operation is scheduled to resume on 28 March 2027 for the northern summer season.

Aviacionline, drawing on Brazilian outlets and Aeroin, frames the cuts as part of a wider network trim driven by jet fuel (QAV). Petrobras raised refinery prices by about 11.8% on 1 October, and industry association Abear has said accumulated increases since March have reached roughly 74%, with fuel now representing a very large share of airline operating costs. GOL said in a statement quoted by Aviacionline that successive fuel increases, which have roughly doubled and account for nearly 40% of its costs, led it to adjust routes with reductions or suspensions on some segments.

After the Florida pause, GOL’s remaining United States foothold is New York JFK, operated with an Airbus A330-200 wet-leased from Wamos Air within the Abra Group, Aviacionline reports. That leaves secondary Brazilian cities that had enjoyed nonstop MAX flights to Miami and Orlando dependent on connections over São Paulo or Rio, or on rival offers from LATAM, Azul, American Airlines and Copa.

The pause hits leisure and VFR traffic that had grown on narrowbody links from Brasília, Fortaleza, Belém and Manaus. Ceará tourism officials publicly lamented the Fortaleza suspensions even while acknowledging profitability pressure on long MAX sectors. Passengers already booked are to be offered reprotection on GOL or partner airlines, with Brazilian regulator ANAC rules guaranteeing reaccommodation or refunds.

For US airports in Florida, the story is a seasonal capacity hole rather than a permanent exit—if fuel eases and yields recover, the MAX routes could return after the northern winter. For now, schedule data and GOL’s own sales system say the same thing: from February 2027, those Florida nonstops are offline until late March.

Fuel economics explain the geography of the cuts. Long 737 MAX sectors from northern and northeastern Brazil to Florida burn many hours of expensive QAV for leisure yields that softened when travelers delayed trips. Concentrating the remaining US flying on the wet-leased A330 to New York keeps a premium gateway while shedding thinner Florida spokes. Domestic trims reported alongside the Florida pause show the same pressure inside Brazil, but the US angle is what matters for Miami and Orlando: fewer nonstops from secondary Brazilian cities through early spring 2027.

Rivals are positioned to absorb spill. LATAM and American already dominate São Paulo and Rio to Florida; Azul and Copa offer connecting alternatives. Whether GOL restores the MAX Florida flying after 28 March depends on fuel, currency and demand. Until reservations reopen, passengers should treat February–March Florida nonstops from Brasília, Fortaleza, Belém and Manaus as unavailable and plan connections or other airlines instead.