Azul and Gol, two of Brazil's largest airlines, are moving a step closer to a sweeping merger that would create a dominant carrier in Latin America's No. 1 economy, a securities filing showed on Wednesday.

Brazil airlines Azul and GOL are set for merger talks which could create the dominant player in aviation in the country. They signed a MoU after getting tentative approval from Brazilian President Lula da Silva. The plan is to combine the businesses of Azul and GOL parent Abra. It would give the new business a 60% share of the aviation market.

Abra Group and Brazilian carrier Azul have entered a memorandum of understanding to explore a combination that would create Brazil's largest airline via a tie-up with Gol.

Abra Group (the majority investor of Gol and Avianca) and Azul signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) today with the intent to explore a combination of their

Azul and Gol shares rose sharply on Thursday, following the announcement of a proposed merger between the two Brazilian airlines. Azul’s stock price rose by more than 4%, while Gol’s shares jumped by about 8%.

Azul (NYSE:AZUL) and Abra, the majority investor of Gol and Avianca, signed an agreement to combine their businesses in Brazil. The purpose of the business combination is to promote growth in the Brazilian aviation industry,