Breeze Airways (MX, Salt Lake City) is set to add two Learjet 45s to transport parts, engineers, and reposition flight crews, founder David Neeleman told Aviation Week Network. The move follows the example of Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras, which Neeleman founded and where he remains the chairman of the board.

The two Learjet aircraft will be based at Breeze's maintenance hub at Charleston International and are expected to enter service in mid-February. The carrier has already hired five of eight pilots, who will begin training on February 2. Details regarding the jet's manufacturer serial numbers and registrations remain unknown.

Neeleman said the move will improve operational reliability and reduce downtime for Breeze's fleet of fifty-two A220-300s, with 46 additional aircraft on order and options for 30 more, as well as eight E190s scheduled for retirement in 2026. The decision to acquire aircraft to support operational needs was inspired by Azul.

“We were serving about 100 cities that had no other airline service, and if an aircraft had an issue, a flight attendant got sick, or a mechanical problem arose, it was almost impossible to resolve without using a spare aircraft,” Neeleman explained, referring to Azul.

The Brazilian carrier operates a fleet of over 200 Airbus, ATR - Avions de Transport Régional, Embraer, and Textron Aviation aircraft across two divisions, Azul and Azul Conecta. Currently, two PC-12s are used to transport parts, engineers, and reposition flight crews across Brazil.

The turboprops, 2004-built PR-BZE (msn 580) and 2005-built PP-BER (msn 655), were transferred between Azul and Azul Conecta's RBAC 135 operations specifications in early December and are marked as available for air taxi operations and scheduled services. It remains unclear whether they are used simultaneously on such missions.

Azul's RBAC 135 charter operations specifications currently list no aircraft, but the certification remains active. Commercial operations are run under RBAC 121 regulations.