KLM relaunched flights to Rio de Janeiro (GIG) on 1 November. The airline now flies three times weekly – on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays – to the Brazilian city from its Amsterdam (AMS) hub, using 318-seat 777-200ER aircraft. KLM Dutch airline, which already serves São Paulo, previously operated the route to Rio between 1986 and 2000. KLM’s CEO Peter Hartman commented: “Latin America is an emerging market. By adding Rio de Janeiro as KLM’s 9th destination in Latin America, we intend to greatly strengthen our position in this rapidly expanding region. Because Brazil is experiencing such strong economic growth we see Rio’s inclusion in the KLM network as beneficial to our business passengers. Foreign investment in the region is increasing strongly, fuelled by the growing oil and gas industry.”