Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras (AD, São Paulo Viracopos) has outlined its proposed Brazilian network growth plan for the next five years wherein the budget carrier will target towns and cities with minimal to no commercial service at present.

Among those listed include: Guarapava, Umuarama, Pato Branco, Toledo, PR, and Paranaguá in Paraná, Caruaru and Serra Talhada in Pernambuco, Mossoró in Rio Grande do Norte, Santos, Franca, and Barretos in São Paulo, Sant’Ana do Livramento RS/Rivera (Uruguay) and Bagé in Rio Grande do Sul, Macaé in Rio de Janeiro, Sobral in Ceará, Araguaina in Tocantins, Linhares in Espirito Santo, Tabatinga in Minas Gerais, Catalão in Goiás, Itaituba in Pará, Tangara da Serra in Mato Grosso, Balsas in Maranhão, Guanambi in Bahia, Caçador in Santa Catarina, and Ponta Porã International in Mato Grosso do Sul.

The vast majority of the markets will be served with ATR72-600 turboprops. Azul's guidance for 2018 contemplates the addition of eight to ten new destinations, representing less than 5% of the capacity growth expected for this year.

"Azul is the only airline in the country that focuses on the development of the aviation market in all regions of Brazil, taking air service to places where it does not exist," Abhi Shah, Azul's Chief Revenue Officer, said in a statement. "By having a differentiated fleet, we are able to deploy the right aircraft in the right market. We are working closely with local officials in these areas to achieve the conditions necessary for us to operate. I would like to thank everyone for this joint work, and highlight that as soon as the airports are ready, our aeroplanes will be serving those locations."

The ch-aviation capacity module shows Azul is currently Brazil's third-largest carrier by weekly domestic seating capacity with 493,002 seats/week but is the busiest in terms of weekly domestic departures with 4,439. In comparison, GOL Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes proffers 691,335 seats/week (32.1%) via 4,161 departures while LATAM Airlines Brasil proffers 673,959 seats/week (22.89%) through 3,812 departures.