Azul Brazilian Airlines

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the Russian airline, see Azur Air.

Azul Brazilian Airlines
Azul Brazilian Airlines logo.svg
IATA ICAO Callsign
AD AZU AZUL
Founded2008
AOC #178 - November 20, 2018[1]
Hubs[2]
Focus cities[citation needed]
Frequent-flyer programTudoAzul
SubsidiariesAzul Conecta
Fleet size143
Destinations122[3]
HeadquartersBarueri, Brazil
Key people[4]
  • David Neeleman (Founder and Chairman)
  • John Rodgerson (CEO)
  • Alexandre Malfitani (CFO)
  • Abhi Shah (Chief Reveneue Officer)
  • Flávio Costa (Chief Operating Officer)
RevenueIncrease US$ 2.37 billion (2018)[5]
Net incomeIncrease US$181 million (2018)[5]
Websitevoeazul.com.br

Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras S/A (Azul Brazilian Airlines; or simply Azul) is a Brazilian carrier based in Barueri, a suburb of São Paulo.[6] The company's business model is to stimulate demand by providing frequent and affordable air service to underserved markets throughout Brazil. The company was named Azul ("Blue" in Portuguese) after a naming contest in 2008, where "Samba" was the other popular name.[7] It was established on May 5, 2008 by Brazilian-born David Neeleman (founder of American low-cost airline JetBlue), with a fleet of 76 Embraer 195 jets.[8] The airline began service on December 15, 2008.[9][10]

According to the Brazilian Civil Aviation Authority (ANAC), between January and December 2019 Azul had 23.5% of the domestic and 5.0% of the international market shares in terms of revenue passenger kilometers (RPK),[11] making it the third largest domestic and second largest international airline in Brazil.

History[]

Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras S.A. was the fourth airline launched by JetBlue founder David Neeleman (after Morris Air, WestJet and jetBlue). Azul inaugurated services in the Brazilian domestic market on December 15, 2008 between Campinas and 3 cities: Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, and Porto Alegre.[10] It launched operations with three Embraer 195 and two Embraer 190 aircraft.[citation needed] Another three aircraft were added in January 2009 to introduce nonstop service from Campinas to both Vitória and Curitiba.[10]

On May 28, 2012, Azul announced the acquisition of TRIP Linhas Aéreas, the largest regional carrier in Brazil. Azul and Trip started comprehensive code-sharing operations on December 2, 2012,[12] with all flights carrying only the IATA code of Azul. On March 6, 2013 Brazilian authorities gave the final approval for the merger with a few restrictions related to code-sharing with TAM Airlines and slot use at Rio de Janeiro-Santos Dumont Airport.[13] On May 6, 2014 the merger process was completed with the final approval from Brazilian authorities. That day the brand TRIP ceased to exist and all TRIP assets were transferred to Azul.[14]

While the airline is not currently a full member in an airline alliance, it signed a codeshare agreement with Star Alliance airline United Airlines in January 2014, which made it possible for MileagePlus members to earn points when flying with Azul beginning April 1, 2014.[15][16] Since 2015, Azul is also an equal partner in a Brazilian-Portuguese joint venture that is the majority owner of TAP Air Portugal, another Star Alliance member.

In December 2014, Azul started its first scheduled international flights; to Fort Lauderdale on December 2 and Orlando on December 15, both in the United States.[17]

In early 2015 it was announced that Azul had signed a purchase agreement for 35 Airbus A320neo aircraft. It is also to lease a further 28 of the aircraft type.[18] In mid-2015, Azul finalised a deal for 30 Embraer E195-E2 aircraft (including 20 options) first announced at the 2014 Farnborough International Air Show. The first delivery is scheduled for 2020.[19]

On November 24, 2015 it was announced that the Chinese HNA Group, owner of Hainan Airlines, would invest US$450 million in Azul, becoming the largest single shareholder of Azul SA.[20] This follows the US$100 million investment of United Airlines closed in June 2015.[21]

Azul proposed to acquire Avianca Brasil, as the carrier signed a non-binding deal to buy its assets on 11 March 2019. Its acquisition plan includes the rehiring of all Avianca Brazil's staff and the merger between the two carriers, with Azul as the surviving brand. Currently, Azul is not a member of Star Alliance despite partnering with its members such as United and TAP, while Avianca Brazil is a member, joining the alliance in 2015.[22][23][24][25]

On 14 January 2020 Azul Brazilian Airlines signed an agreement to purchase TwoFlex.[26] On March 27, 2020 the Brazilian regulatory bodies gave the nihil obstat to the purchase[27] and sale of flights started on April 14, 2020.[28] TwoFlex operates as feeder airline to Azul.

Destinations[]

An ATR 72-600 of Azul Brazilian Airlines at São José do Rio Preto Airport, Brazil
Azul's Embraer 195 in a special Azul Viagens (the airline's travel operator) livery
PR-AIV, one of Azul's Airbus A330-200s painted in a special livery at Ft. Lauderdale
A bus fleet provides free feeder services between selected cities and airports.
Main article: List of Azul Brazilian Airlines destinations

Azul and Azul Conecta serve 122 destinations in Brazil, Portugal, and the United States,[29] plus some other additional locations by means of dedicated executive bus services to the nearest airports.[30]

Codeshare agreements[]

Azul has interline agreements and codeshare agreements with the following airlines:[31]

Codeshare agreement[]

  • Alitalia[32]
  • Ethiopian Airlines
  • Emirates Airlines[33]
  • JetBlue Airways[34]
  • TAP Air Portugal[35]
  • Turkish Airlines
  • United Airlines[36]

Interline agreement[]

Fleet[]

Azul's Airbus A330-900 at Beijing Capital International Airport

The Azul Brazilian Airlines fleet consists of the following aircraft, as of September 2020:[39][40]

Azul Brazilian Airlines Fleet
Aircraft In service Orders Passengers Notes
B E Total
Airbus A320neo 42 8[41] — 174 174
Airbus A321neo 3 7[41] — 214 214[42]
Airbus A330-200 8 — 27 222 249 [43]
Airbus A330-900 4 1[41] 34 264 298
ATR 72-600 33 10 — 70 70
Embraer 190 4[44] — — 106 106
Embraer 195 42[45] — — 118 118
Embraer 195-E2 7[46] 68[47][48][49] — 136 136
Total 143 94

The airline also operates 2 Pilatus PC-12/45 for logistics and maintenance support.

Loyalty program[]

TudoAzul is the Frequent Flyer Program of Azul.[50] Members accumulate points based on the airfare paid rather than on miles flown.[citation needed]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Empresas Aéreas - Consulta". ANAC (in Portuguese). Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  2. ^ "Mapa de rotas". Azul magazine (in Portuguese). Diretoria de Marketing, Comunicação e Marca. December 2018. p. 159. Archived from the original on January 21, 2019. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
  3. ^ "Malha da Azul". Azul Brazilian Airlines (in Portuguese). Retrieved August 2, 2021.
  4. ^ "Management".
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b "Financial Statements Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras S.A." Azul (in Portuguese). December 31, 2018.
  6. ^ "CONTRATO DE TRANSPORTE AÉREO DE PASSAGEIROS Archived December 13, 2015, at the Wayback Machine." Azul Brazilian Airlines. Retrieved on February 20, 2010.
  7. ^ Jessie Scanlon (May 6, 2008). "Braving Brazil's 'Airline Graveyard'". BusinessWeek. Archived from the original on March 26, 2009. Retrieved 2008-06-04.
  8. ^ "Azul itching to launch low cost services in Brazil". CAPA Centre for Aviation. August 18, 2008. Retrieved October 30, 2014.
  9. ^ Matos, Marcela; Silvana Pereira (November 5, 2008). "Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras recebe o CHETA e já pode pleitear as rotas que pretende operar". Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on January 7, 2009.
  10. ^ Jump up to: a b c "A história da Azul" (in Portuguese). Azul Linhas Aereas Brasileiras. Archived from the original on May 12, 2009. Retrieved May 16, 2009.
  11. ^ "Relatório demanda e oferta do transporte aéreo". Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil (ANAC) (in Portuguese). Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  12. ^ "Acordo de codeshare entre Azul e Trip leva cliente a 100 destinos" (in Portuguese). Brasilturis. September 20, 2012. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  13. ^ Teixeira Alves, Danilo (March 6, 2013). "Cade aprova fus da Azul e Trip com condições" (in Portuguese). Panrotas. Retrieved March 7, 2013.
  14. ^ "Ata da reunião realizada em 6 de maio de 2014" (PDF) (in Portuguese). ANAC. May 6, 2014. Retrieved June 28, 2014.
  15. ^ "Azul Earning Miles". United Airlines. Retrieved October 25, 2014.
  16. ^ "United Airlines & Azul Frequent Flier Partnership (Earn & Redeem Miles On Azul)". John Ollila, LoyaltyLobby. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
  17. ^ "Azul confirma voos para Fort Lauderdale e Orlando" (in Portuguese). Panrotas. August 12, 2014. Retrieved August 17, 2014.
  18. ^ "Azul Orders A320neos". Airliner World: 12. February 2015.
  19. ^ "Azul Signs for E-Jets". Airliner World: 12. July 2015.
  20. ^ "HNA Group and Azul Brazilian Airlines Forge Longterm Strategic Partnership". HNA. November 24, 2015. Retrieved November 25, 2015.
  21. ^ "United Airlines to pay $100 million for Azul stake, for foothold in Brazil". Reuters. June 26, 2015. Retrieved November 25, 2015.
  22. ^ "Azul buys Avianca". March 11, 2019.
  23. ^ "Brazil's Azul hopes to take over Avianca Brasil's planes at lower lease rates". March 14, 2019 – via www.reuters.com.
  24. ^ Yeo2019-03-14T18:37:00+00:00, Ghim-Lay. "ANALYSIS: Azul expects to close Avianca Brazil deal quickly". Flight Global.
  25. ^ Yeo2019-03-11T12:40:25+00:00, Ghim-Lay. "Azul signs nonbinding deal to buy Avianca Brazil assets". Flight Global.
  26. ^ "Azul faz acordo para compra da Two Flex por R$ 123 milhões". Panrotas (in Portuguese). January 14, 2020. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  27. ^ "CADE aprova a compra da ultra-regional TwoFlex pela Azul". Aeroflap (in Portuguese). March 27, 2020. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  28. ^ "Azul inicia venda de voos operados pela TwoFlex". Panrotas (in Portuguese). April 13, 2020. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  29. ^ "Malha da Azul". Azul Brazilian Airlines (in Portuguese). Retrieved June 7, 2021.
  30. ^ "Ônibus grátis" (in Portuguese). Azul Brazilian Airlines. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
  31. ^ "Profile on Azul". CAPA. Centre for Aviation. Archived from the original on November 3, 2016. Retrieved November 3, 2016.
  32. ^ "2019-12-04 - Press Releases - Alitalia". corporate.alitalia.it. Retrieved December 16, 2019.
  33. ^ "Azul e Emirates fecham acordo para compartilhamento de voos". CNN Brazil (in Portuguese). August 18, 2021.
  34. ^ "Azul - Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras. Você lá em cima". April 30, 2016. Archived from the original on April 30, 2016. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
  35. ^ "Anac autoriza Azul a ter 7 voos semanais para Portugal - 21/03/2016 - Mercado - Folha de S.Paulo". March 22, 2016. Archived from the original on March 22, 2016. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
  36. ^ "United anuncia compra de 5% da Azul por US$ 100 milhões - 26/06/2015 - Mercado - Folha de S.Paulo". September 6, 2015. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
  37. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e denis. "Azul assina acordo de interline com Aerolíneas Argentinas". www.melhoresdestinos.com.br. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
  38. ^ "Azul assina acordo de interline com panamenha Copa Airlines | EXAME.com - Negócios, economia, tecnologia e carreira". exame.abril.com.br. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
  39. ^ "Azul Press Releases". Azul. Retrieved May 27, 2019.
  40. ^ "Airbus Orders & Deliveries". Airbus. September 2020. Archived from the original on October 10, 2020. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  41. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Airbus orders and deliveries". Airbus. December 2019. Archived from the original on February 18, 2020. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  42. ^ "Brazil's Azul adds first A321neo". ch-aviation.
  43. ^ "Aircraft configuration". International flights. Azul Brazilian Airlines. Retrieved December 6, 2018.
  44. ^ "Azul Linhas Aereas Fleet of E190 (Active) | Airfleets aviation". www.airfleets.net. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  45. ^ "Azul Linhas Aereas Fleet of E190 (Active) | Airfleets aviation". www.airfleets.net. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  46. ^ "Azul Linhas Aereas Fleet of E190 (Active) | Airfleets aviation". www.airfleets.net. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  47. ^ "Azul Increases Embraer E195-E2 Order By 50%". simpleflying.com. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
  48. ^ "Embraer Order Book" (PDF).
  49. ^ "Embraer E-Jets Orders and Deliveries" (PDF). Azul. Retrieved May 27, 2019.
  50. ^ "TudoAzul e Itaucard lançam Primeira Compra que dá descontos de até 10% em passagens aéreas". TURISMO SA (in Portuguese). October 15, 2020. Retrieved October 18, 2020.

External links[]

Media related to Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras at Wikimedia Commons

Retrieved from ""