 | You can helpexpand this article with text translated fromthe corresponding article in Portuguese. (June 2015)Click [show] for important translation instructions.
|
 | |||||||
.jpg) An Azul Airbus A330neo inBeijing | |||||||
| |||||||
| Founded | 5 May 2008; 17 years ago (2008-05-05) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AOC # | 10,123 – 23 December 2022[1] | ||||||
| Hubs | |||||||
| Focus cities | |||||||
| Frequent-flyer program | TudoAzul[4] | ||||||
| Subsidiaries | Azul Conecta | ||||||
| Fleet size | 191 | ||||||
| Destinations | 150 | ||||||
| Traded as | B3: AZUL4 NYSE: AZUL | ||||||
| Headquarters | Barueri, São Paulo, Brazil[5] | ||||||
| Key people |
| ||||||
| Revenue |  R$9.97 billion (2021)[7] | ||||||
| Operating income | R$524.9 million (2021)[7] | ||||||
| Net income |  R$945.7 million (2021)[7] | ||||||
| Employees | 12,485 | ||||||
| Website | voeazul.com | ||||||
Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras S/A (Azul Brazilian Airlines; or simplyAzul) is a Brazilian airline headquartered inBarueri, a suburb ofSão Paulo.[8] 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.[9] Azul is apublicly traded company on theBrazilian stock exchange, with theticker AZUL4.[10] It was established on 5 May 2008 by Brazilian-bornDavid Neeleman (founder of American low-cost airlineJetBlue), with a fleet of 76Embraer E195 jets.[11] The airline began service on 15 December 2008.[12][13]
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 internationalmarket shares in terms of revenue passenger kilometers (RPK),[14] making it the third largest domestic and second largest international airline in Brazil.
.jpg)
.jpg)
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 Braziliandomestic market on 15 December 2008 between Campinas and 3 cities:Rio de Janeiro,Salvador, andPorto Alegre.[13] It launched operations with threeEmbraer E195 and twoEmbraer E190 aircraft.[citation needed] Another three aircraft were added in January 2009 to introduce nonstop service fromCampinas to bothVitória andCuritiba.[13]
On 28 May 2012, Azul announced the acquisition ofTRIP Linhas Aéreas, the largest regional carrier in Brazil. Azul and Trip started comprehensive code-sharing operations on 2 December 2012,[15] with all flights carrying only the IATA code of Azul. On 6 March 2013, Brazilian authorities gave the final approval for the merger with a few restrictions related to code-sharing withTAM Airlines and slot use atRio de Janeiro–Santos Dumont Airport.[16] On 6 May 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.[17]
While the airline is not currently a full member in anairline alliance, it signed a codeshare agreement withStar Alliance airlineUnited Airlines in January 2014, which made it possible forMileagePlus members to earn points when flying with Azul beginning 1 April 2014.[18][19] Since 2015, Azul is also an equal partner in a Brazilian–Portuguese joint venture that was the majority owner ofTAP Air Portugal, anotherStar Alliance member, before its buy-out by the Portuguese state.[citation needed]
In December 2014, Azul started its first scheduled international flights, toFort Lauderdale on 2 December andOrlando on 15 December, both in the United States.[20]
In early 2015, it was announced that Azul had signed a purchase agreement for 35Airbus A320neo aircraft. It was also to lease a further 28 of the aircraft type.[21] In mid 2015, Azul finalised a deal for 30Embraer E195-E2 aircraft, including 20 options, first announced at the 2014Farnborough International Air Show. The first delivery was scheduled for 2020.[22]
On 24 November 2015, it was announced that the ChineseHNA Group, owner ofHainan Airlines, would invest US$450 million in Azul, becoming its largest single shareholder.[23] This follows the US$100 million investment ofUnited Airlines closed in June 2015.[24]
Azul signed a nonbinding deal to buyAvianca Brasil's assets on 11 March 2019, calling for the rehiring of all Avianca Brazil's staff and the merger between the two carriers, with Azul as the surviving brand.[25][26][27][28]
On 14 January 2020, Azul Brazilian Airlines signed an agreement to purchaseTwoFlex.[29] On 27 March 2020, the Brazilian regulatory bodies approved the purchase[30] and sale of flights started on 14 April 2020.[31] TwoFlex operates as a feeder airline to Azul.
On May 28, 2025, Azul Brazilian Airlines filed forChapter 11 bankruptcy after being affected with higher expenses within the last year. The company has plans to shed up to $2 billion in debt, receive $1.6 billion in financing throughout the procedure, and an additional $950 million in financing upon exiting bankruptcy, with bondholders and strategic partners such asAmerican Airlines andUnited Airlines supporting the restructuring.[32] Azul stated that they plan to exit bankruptcy in the beginning of 2026.[33]
The key trends for Azul are (as of the financial year ending 31 December):[34]
| Total revenue (R$ b)[35] | Net profit (R$ b)[35] | Number of employees (FTE) | Number of passengers (m)[a] | Passenger load factor (%) | Cities served[36] | Total aircraft[b][36] | References | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 0.87 | −0.09 | 2,940 | 28 | 27 | [37] | ||
| 2011 | 1.7 | −0.10 | 4,329 | 43 | 49 | [37] | ||
| 2012 | 2.7 | −0.17 | 8,914 | 100 | 124 | [37] | ||
| 2013 | 5.2 | 0.02 | 9,848 | 19.8 | 79.1 | 103 | 137 | [37] |
| 2014 | 5.8 | −0.06 | 10,501 | 20.4 | 79.4 | 106 | 153 | [37] |
| 2015 | 6.2 | −1.0 | 10,533 | 21.7 | 79.6 | 102 | 152 | [37] |
| 2016 | 6.6 | −0.12 | 10,311 | 20.6 | 79.7 | 102 | 139 | [37] |
| 2017 | 7.7 | 0.42 | 10,878 | 22.0 | 82.1 | 104 | 147 | [38] |
| 2018 | 9.0 | −0.63 | 11,807 | 23.1 | 82.3 | 110 | 143 | [38] |
| 2019 | 11.4 | −2.4 | 13,189 | 27.6 | 83.5 | 116 | 166 | [39] |
| 2020 | 5.7 | −10.8 | 12,004 | 14.7 | 80.0 | 112 | 192 | [40] |
| 2021 | 9.9 | −4.2 | 13,163 | 23.3 | 79.2 | 147 | 192 | [41] |
| 2022 | 15.9 | −0.72 | 14,247 | 27.4 | 79.7 | 158 | 212 | [42] |
| 2023 | 18.5 | −2.3 | 16,017 | 29.2 | 80.4 | 162 | 209 | [43] |
| 2024 | 19.5 | −9.1 | 16,173 | 30.8 | 81.6 | 152 | 220 | [44] |
In November 2025, Azul and Azul Conecta served 150 destinations in Brazil, Argentina, Curaçao (Netherlands), Paraguay, Portugal, Spain, the United States, and Uruguay plus some other additional locations by means of dedicated executive bus services to the nearest airports.[45][46]
Azul hasinterline agreements andcodeshare agreements with the following airlines:[47]
_Rafael_Luiz_(14709743931).jpg)
.jpg)
As of August 2025[update], Azul Brazilian Airlines operates the following aircraft:[58]
| Aircraft | In service | Orders | Passengers | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B | E+[59] | E | Total | ||||
| Airbus A320neo | 51 | — | — | 30 | 144 | 174 | |
| Airbus A321neo[60] | 6 | — | — | 42 | 172 | 214[61] | |
| Airbus A330-200 | 5 | — | 20 | 100 | 151 | 271 | |
| 35 | 48 | 155 | 238 | ||||
| Airbus A330-900 | 7 | 5[62][63] | 34 | 96 | 168 | 298 | |
| ATR 72-600 | 40 | 3[64] | — | — | 70 | 70 | |
| Embraer E195 | 45 | — | — | 18 | 100 | 118 | |
| Embraer E195-E2 | 35 | 38[65][66] | — | 20 | 116 | 136 | |
| Azul Cargo fleet | |||||||
| Airbus A321-200P2F | 2[67] | — | Cargo | ||||
| Total | 191 | 46 | |||||
Media related toAzul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras at Wikimedia Commons
