Abra Group Limited («Abra,» or together with its subsidiaries, the «Group», or «the Company»), a leading air transportation group across Latin America and holding company of Avianca International Group Limited («Avianca») and New Gol Parent S.A. («GOL»), today reported first quarter 2026 results.
«Abra delivered a robust first quarter, demonstrating the strength of its diversified business portfolio. The company’s solid performance was supported by resilient demand, the continued expansion of the premium segment, disciplined capacity deployment, and strong contributions across our airlines,» said Adrian Neuhauser, CEO of Abra. «These factors, combined with proactive measures to mitigate fuel price pressures, reinforce the strength of our financial and operational profile and our ability to navigate a dynamic operating environment.»
To facilitate comparability of financial and operational performance, first quarter 2025 results are presented on a pro forma basis, as indicated in the tables.
First Quarter 2026 and First Quarter 2025 Pro Forma Financial Highlights
|
USD millions |
Q1-26 |
Pro Forma Q1-25 |
YoY Var. % |
|
Passenger Revenue |
2,255 |
1,930 |
+16.9 % |
|
Cargo and Other Revenue |
415 |
354 |
+17.3 % |
|
Total Operating Revenue |
2,670 |
2,284 |
+16.9 % |
|
Adjusted EBITDAR |
792 |
592 |
+33.8 % |
|
Adjusted EBITDAR Margin (%) |
29.7 % |
25.9 % |
+375 bps |
- Delivered double-digit top-line growth, with total operating revenues increasing 16.9% year over year to $2.7 billion, driven by strong performance across business segments.
- Passenger revenue increased 16.9% year over year to approximately $2.3 billion, driven by resilient demand, as reflected in a 390 bps year over year improvement in load factor to 83.0%, along with continued pricing discipline.
- Cargo and other revenue increased by 17.3% year over year, to approximately $415 million, highlighting the contribution of cargo and Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance and Insurance (ACMI) businesses to Abra’s diversified platform beyond passenger flying.
- Adjusted EBITDAR increased 33.8% year over year to $792 million, with an Adjusted EBITDAR margin of 29.7%, an improvement of approximately 375 basis points year over year.
First Quarter 2026 Strategic and Operational Highlights
- Continued development of the international strategy with the announcement of seven A330 Neos to be progressively incorporated during 2026 and 2027 to support long-haul growth. Initially, up to five aircraft will be operated by GOL, and two by Avianca.
- The Board of Directors increased to 12 members, including nine independent members(1), to strengthen Group-level governance standards, ensure strategic continuity, and enhance long-term value creation
- Delisted GOL from the Brazilian stock exchange, further aligning with Group-level strategy.
- Demonstrated resilience amid fuel cost pressure, through continued execution of mitigation measures, including fuel hedging, short-term capacity management and fuel cost recovery actions.
- Resumed and expanded operations to Venezuela, reaffirming Abra’s commitment to enhancing regional connectivity.
- Abra advanced its sustainability performance through operational efficiencies, fleet modernization, network optimization, and disciplined fuel and resource management. Cirium(2) recognized Avianca globally for achieving nearly a 20% reduction in carbon intensity between 2019 and 2024. GOL, in turn, delivered one of the lowest emissions per seat across the region.
First Quarter 2026 and First Quarter 2025 Pro Forma Operational Highlights
|
Q1-26 |
Pro Forma Q1-25 |
Var. % |
|
|
Passengers carried (millions) |
18.8 |
16.9 |
+11.2 % |
|
ASK (billions) |
31.5 |
29.4 |
+7.2 % |
|
Load Factor (%) |
83.0 % |
79.0 % |
+390 bps |
|
PRASK (US¢) |
6.5 |
6.1 |
+6.6 % |
|
Yield (US¢) |
7.8 |
7.7 |
+1.3 % |
|
Total Passenger CASK (US¢) |
6.4 |
5.9 |
+9.6 % |
|
Passenger CASK ex-fuel (US¢) |
4.6 |
4.0 |
+15.5 % |
Abra carried 18.8 million passengers in the first quarter of 2026, up 11.2% year over year, while capacity increased 7.2% to 31.5 billion ASKs, as the Group solidified its footprint in core markets, including domestic Brazil, with GOL fully restoring its operational fleet capability by quarter-end. As a result, Load Factor expanded to 83.0%, reflecting resilient demand and disciplined capacity deployment.
Yield increased 1.3% year over year to 7.8 cents, demonstrating rigorous pricing discipline across the Group, coupled with an improvement in the Load Factor, which led to a 6.6% year over year increase in PRASK, reaching 6.5 cents. In terms of cost, Passenger CASK ex-fuel was 4.6 cents, reflecting disciplined cost management, while we continued to invest in product improvements to boost premium revenue growth, expand international operations, and address industry-wide engine contingency-related costs.
Balance Sheet, Cash and Liquidity
Liquidity (which is comprised of unrestricted cash and cash equivalents, short-term investments, GOL credit card receivables and available capacity under Avianca’s revolving credit facility) totaled $2.3 billion as of March 31, 2026, representing 22.7% of LTM revenues, including approximately $1.6 billion in cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments, and other liquidity of $714 million.
Net debt amounted to $9.0 billion as of March 31, 2026, while Net Debt to LTM Adjusted EBITDAR improved to 3.1x from 3.3x at year-end 2025, reflecting robust Adjusted EBITDAR generation and continued deleveraging progress.
Network and Fleet
In the first quarter, Abra’s network included more than 370 routes, reaching over 145 destinations across 28 countries, with capacity deployed across domestic Brazil, North America, South America, Europe, domestic Colombia, and other regions.
During the quarter Avianca resumed the route Bogotá (Colombia)–Caracas (Venezuela), increasing frequencies to 14 weekly flights (from 4 in November 2025), and launched the Medellín–Pasto (Colombia) route, while GOL announced Rio de Janeiro as a new international hub with planned service to New York, Orlando, Lisbon and Paris beginning in the second semester of 2026.
In terms of fleet, the Group operated 310 aircraft, an 8.3% year-over-year increase, including 265 narrowbody aircraft, 27 widebody aircraft and 18 freighters. Abra’s internationalization strategy will be supported by the progressive incorporation of seven A330 Neo aircraft between 2026 and 2027, including up to five initially operated by GOL, and two by Avianca.
Premium Offering
The Group remained focused on strengthening its premium segment offering to deepen brand loyalty and drive recurring premium revenue. Customer experience investments supported a 16% year-over-year increase in Premium Value Customers, 56% premium revenue year-over-year growth and 21% premium revenue share expanding 5 percentage points year-over-year to 21%, with Loyalty members reaching 47 million across the Group, up 22% versus first quarter 2025.
Loyalty gross billings increased 22.0% to $352 million, supported by robust performance from Lifemiles’ co-branded credit card products, and favorable market conditions for Smiles in Brazil.
Customer experience initiatives developed during the quarter included the opening of the Diamond International VIP Lounge in Bogotá, which expanded the Group’s VIP lounges network to 16. The Group also continued the rollout of high-speed Wi-Fi, reaching 19 narrowbody aircraft as of March 31. Additional initiatives included the launch of Avianca’s Business Class Flex, offering enhanced flexibility for customers; GOL’s announcement of Insignia as its first Business Class product; and Smiles’ launch of Magno as the new highest-tier category of its loyalty program.
Operational performance remained a key focus for the Group. Avianca delivered 80.0% on-time performance, 98.4% schedule completion, while GOL delivered 86.9% on-time performance and 99.2% schedule completion in the quarter. Notably, mishandled baggage per 1,000 passengers was 2.2 for Avianca and 3.2 for GOL, significantly below the global rate of 6.3(3). These results highlight Abra’s continued commitment to operational excellence.
Cargo and Other Business Units
Cargo and Other Business units continued to deliver strong performance in the first quarter.
Cargo volumes reached approximately 197 thousand tons, up 15.3% year over year. Growth was driven by a resilient demand environment across markets, Avianca Cargo’s strong performance during Valentine’s season—reinforcing its leadership in Colombian flower exports to the United States—and GOLLOG’s expanded year-over-year operations through the incorporation of two dedicated freighters during the second half of 2025, reaching a total of nine. ACMI revenues increased 19.5% to $76 million.
As a result, Cargo and other revenue generated approximately $415 million, up 17.3% year over year, reflecting continued execution across Abra’s diversified platform…