Yesterday, Azul Conecta, a subsidiary of Azul Linhas Aéreas, took delivery of its 5th Cessna Grand Caravan EX. The event occurred at Azul Conecta's headquarters and training center in Jundiaí, Brazil.

Delivery brings Azul Conecta's fleet to a total of 22 aircraft

Azul Conecta crew, members of the press, and 14 children and teens from the Centro de Atendimento à Síndrome de Down Bem-Te-Vi (Service Center for Down Syndrome Bem-Te-Vi) were present for the delivery of the aircraft.

Azul Conecta Traning Center
Azul Conecta's Headquarters and Training Center is located in Jundiaí, a short distance from its main hub, Viracopos Airport (VCP). Photo: Lukas Souza | Simple Flying

The Cessna Grand Caravan EX is the fifth of its kind in Azul Conecta's fleet, but the airline now operates 22 Cessna Grand Caravan aircraft. Yesterday's delivery came from the Cessna factory in the United States, making stops in Belém and Belo Horizonte before arriving at the airline's hub and training center in Jundiaí.

Stay informed: sign up for our daily and weekly aviation news digests.

Azul's COO and President-Director of Azul Conecta, Flávio Costa, was present at the event and gave a few remarks before the aircraft arrived,

"It is with great joy that we receive another aircraft, the fifth EX, at our hangar in Jundiaí. The new aircraft will support our plan of expansion in regional operations, which will allow us to expand routes to smaller cities of the Brazilian states, will increase our goals to fly to more destinations, and will strengthen both business and leisure travel. We are also honored to be able to open the doors of our headquarters to the local community and be able to realize the dream of children and adolescents from Bem-Te-Vi."

Azul leadership at Azul Conecta
Present at the event were two members of Azul's executive leadership team, Antonio Flavio Torres Martins Costa (Chief Operating Officer and President-Director of Azul Conecta, and Jason Ward (Executive Vice President of People and Customers). Photo: Lukas Souza | Simple Flying

57 destinations and growing

At its launch in August 2020, Azul Conecta planned to fly to 36 destinations. In under two years, that number has almost doubled. Azul Conecta now operates flights to 57 destinations in Brazil, using its 22 Grand Caravan aircraft, including some aircraft configured for cargo operations. The Cessna Grand Caravan EX is the newest model from the North-American aircraft manufacturer, Cessna. Equipped with Pratt & Whitney engines with 867 horsepower, the new aircraft is more fuel-efficient and quieter than previous models.

Azul Conecta Pilot with child from Bem Te Vi Center for Down Syndrome
14 children and teenagers from the Service Center for Down Syndrome Bem Te Vi were invited to be at the event. They had the opportunity to sit in the aircraft and take pictures with pilots. Photo: Lukas Souza | Simple Flying

What is Azul Conecta?

Azul Conecta is a subsidiary of Azul Linhas Aéreas and was launched on August 11, 2020. Azul Conecta was launched after Azul purchased the small regional airline, TwoFlex, in January 2020. At the time of the acquisition, TwoFlex operated flights to 39 destinations in Brazil, the largest country in South America, and had a fleet of 17 Cessna Grand Caravan aircraft. The purchase was worth $22.6 million and has proven to be an incredible investment by the Brazilian airline.

Azul Executive Leadership at Azul Conecta
The children from Bem Te Vi were gifted an aircraft model of the Azul Conecta Cessna Grand Caravan nicknamed Lady Azul. Photo: Lukas Souza | Simple Flying

Azul's CEO, John Rodgerson, said the following when speaking about the acquisition of TwoFlex,

“Over the past ten years, Azul has led the development of regional aviation in Brazil by serving more than 100 domestic destinations and bringing new service to more than 50. Our goal is to continue bringing critical air service to new and diverse parts of Brazil. TwoFlex will be the perfect way to reach these cities and communities.”

In an article written by Simple Flying about the purchase of TwoFlex, our team researched a market analysis from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands. According to the analysis, Bra\zil had 2,499 at the time, and approximately 98% of the country's air travel was concentrated in 65 airports, 31 of those in major cities. Azul had the largest number of cities served in Brazil, with 105.

The airline industry is always full of new developments! What aviation news will you check out next?

Since its launch in the middle of the pandemic, Azul Conecta has proven to be a worthy investment and has been able to connect passengers from destinations that had never seen passenger air travel.

Children in Azul Conecta Cessna Grand Caravan EX
The children at the event were thrilled to see the aircraft and to sit inside. Photo: Lukas Souza | Simple Flying

Azul has invited me to try out the Conecta product, and I will be flying on two Azul Conecta flights this upcoming Monday. Keep an eye out for flight reviews about Azul's regional product.