Brazil's Azul to launch E195-E1 freighter ops in 1Q22

Brazil's Azul to launch A350 operations in late 4Q22

Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras (AD, Sao Paulo Viracopos) has scheduled the commercial debut of its recently delivered A350-900 for December 15, 2022, ch-aviation schedule analysis has revealed.

The Brazilian carrier will deploy its largest widebody aircraft 6x weekly from Sao Paulo Viracopos to Orlando Int'l, increasing to daily from December 27 and to 10x weekly from January 4, 2023. The route is currently operated with A330-200s.

Azul's first A350-900, F-WTAO (msn 168), was delivered to Brazil in mid-September. It remains in storage at Viracopos and has yet to be registered in Brazil. The carrier plans to take a further three A350s (including one by the end of 2023), all of them originally ordered by Azul from AerCap but delivered to Hong Kong Airlines at a time when the Hong Kong carrier's owner HNA Group was also a minority shareholder in Azul.

Azul's A350s will replace the A330-200s. The ch-aviation fleets advanced module shows that the airline currently operates seven units of the type, which are...

Brazil's Azul eyes Amazon seaplane/amphibian ops

Brazil's Azul accelerates E195-E1 fleet cuts

Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras (AD, Sao Paulo Viracopos) announced accelerated plans to retire a further nine E195s by the end of 2023. Including three others due to be converted into freighters, the carrier intends to reduce its E1 fleet by 40% compared to 2019 levels.

"This announcement demonstrates our ability to accelerate the phase-out of previous-generation Embraer E1s. The exit of the E1s gives us the opportunity to advance the delivery of next-generation E2, further expanding our margins given the E2's 26% lower seat cost compared to the E1," Chief Financial Officer Alex Malfitani said.

Five of the aircraft will be sold to Azorra Aviation to reduce Azul's debt burden while the other four are currently dry-leased and will be returned to their owners. As a result of the accelerated phase-out, Azul's E195-E1 fleet will have decreased from 55 in 2019 to 33 aircraft at the end of 2023.

The ch-aviation fleets advanced module shows that currently, the Brazilian airline continues to operate forty-seven E195-E1s, including three as freighters....

Brazil's Azul takes first A350-900

Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras (AD, Sao Paulo Viracopos) has taken delivery of its first A350-900 - F-WTAO (msn 168) - a 4.9-year-old ex-Hong Kong Airlines jet that was ferried from Lourdes/Tarbes to Belo Horizonte Tancredo Neves on September 14, 2022, and subsequently to Sao Paulo Viracopos on September 16, already in Azul's livery.

Owned by AerCap, it is the first of four used A350s the Brazilian carrier plans to add, of which one more will be delivered by the end of this year. And in a bizarre twist, although they are ex-Hong Kong Airlines stock, they were initially ordered by Azul itself. The Hong Kong carrier was a subsidiary of HNA Group, which was once also a minority shareholder of Azul.

"The A350 is part of our fleet renewal plan and will replace the A330-200 aircraft (which today operates our long-haul routes), as it consumes about 20% less fuel per seat," Chief Executive John Rodgerson said in a social media post.

Azul's A350s...