Abra Group sets group-level ESG strategy across Avianca, GOL and Wamos

Abra Group is headquartered in the United Kingdom and is the parent of Avianca, GOL Linhas Aéreas and Wamos. Its airlines treat Latin America as their main market. Avianca began as a Colombian carrier and now operates as a full-service airline across the region; GOL is Brazil's largest low-cost airline. Wamos is based in Spain and works mostly in charter and ACMI markets on both sides of the Atlantic.

Maria Whittaker, the group's chief corporate responsibility officer, set out its approach to environmental, social and governance matters in an interview. Whittaker is from Argentina and spent most of her career in finance, including mergers and acquisitions advisory work and building data businesses at Reuters. She co-founded Downforce Technologies, which uses satellite data and modelling to measure organic carbon in soil.

She joined Abra Group in 2024 as a sustainability adviser to Avianca, became chief corporate responsibility officer in early 2025, and was tasked with setting up a new governance structure. She reports directly to group chief executive Adrian Neuhauser.

Asked how a group running distinct brands and value propositions across a large region organises its ESG work, and how much sits at group level rather than with each airline, Whittaker said the company sees itself as one group. She said that framing guides how the effort is divided from a sustainability standpoint.