Virgin’s daily Heathrow-Sao Paulo service, announced in March, will go on sale on Tuesday (10 September) with the first flight taking off on 29 March 2020.

The codeshare will allow Virgin passengers to connect seamlessly onto GOL flights serving 37 destinations across Brazil, including capital Brasilia, as well as Rio de Janeiro, Recife and Curitiba.

The new codeshare partners have pledged to extend the arrangement “in the near future” with the addition of flights to Argentina, Chile and Uruguay and a reciprocal frequent flyer programme.

Virgin’s Sao Paulo flights will be operated by Boeing 787-9 aircraft with a three-cabin configuration offering 31 upper seats, 35 premium and 192 economy (36 economy delight and 156 economy classic or light).

Passengers’ baggage allowances will be matched and checked through to their final destination.

Juha Jarvinen, Virgin chief commercial officer, said: “Brazil is such a rich and diverse country, and we’ll be able to offer seamless connections for customers onto 37 destinations across Brazil.”

Eduardo Bernardes Neto, GOL senior vice-president sales and distribution, added: “GOL offers a leading route network and high quality service.

"We’re thrilled to be able to connect even more customers thanks to our new partnership with Virgin Atlantic.”