-
Azul
- IATA/ICAO Code:
- AD/AZU
- Airline Type:
- Low-Cost Carrier
- Hub(s):
- Belo Horizonte International Airport, Sao Paulo Viracopos International Airport, Recife/Guararapes International Airport
- Year Founded:
- 2008
- CEO:
- John Rodgerson
- Country:
- Brazil
- Region:
- South America
On Monday, Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras announced its 1st-trimester financial results and a few more milestones. Brazil's largest airline in destinations served was the world's most punctual airline in March, according to Cirium, and the airline also won an award for the 'best airline in Brazil,' given by ANAC (Brazil's civil aviation authority, based on customer satisfaction rankings.
Most Punctual Airline
Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras, one of the many airlines David Neeleman founded, has seen tremendous growth and has quickly established itself as the best airline in Brazil. According to Cirium, an aviation analytics company, Azul was the world's most punctual airline in March, with 92.73% of its flights arriving on time and 93.46% of on-time departures. Altogether, 99.53% of the airline's flights were tracked in March, a total of 22,955.
Japan Airlines was in close second place, with 90.63% of on-time arrivals and 91.39% of on-time departures. All Nippon Airways (ANA) came in third place with 90.48% of on-time arrivals and 91.5% of on-time departures.
Let's have a look at how Azul's on-time performance compares to the rest of the airlines in Latin America:
- Azul - 92.73%
- Sky Airline - 91.62%
- Copa Airlines - 90.68%
- LATAM Airlines - 88.51%
- Aerolineas Argentinas - 82.37%
- SA Avianca - 81.63%
- Aeromexico - 68.43%
- Volaris - 60.49%
Azul operates over 900 daily flights and recently reached 151 destinations served, significantly more than any other airline in South America's largest country. The airline recently announced that it projects a 10% growth in passenger numbers in 2022 compared to 2019.
Azul operates out of 3 hubs, Aeroporto Internacional de Viracopos (VCP) in Campinas (the airline's main hub and where its MRO Hangar is located), Aeroporto Internacional de Belo Horizonte - Confins (CNF), Aeroporto Internacional do Recife - Guararapes (REC).
Recent Azul milestones
Azul has had plenty of reasons to celebrate in the recent months; the list goes on and on, so let's take a quick look at a few of the most important things. Last month, the Brazilian airline celebrated two years since the opening of its MRO Hangar at the Aeroporto Internacional de Viracopos (VCP) in Campinas, São Paulo, and a total of $40 million saved by performing a large majority of maintenance operations in-house.
One of the services the airline now performs at its MRO hangar is the installation of WiFi (Azul announced last year that it would be equipping its entire fleet with this service) and satellite TV. This service was previously performed in France.
In February, the airline unveiled the world's first Embraer 195-E1 freighter aircraft and has plans to transform three more of the Embraer aircraft from passenger to freighter (P2F). The conversion was successful and has proved efficient as Embraer and Nordic Aviation Capital announced yesterday that the two will work together to convert 10 Embraer 190/195 aircraft to freighters.
Every year, ANAC (Brazil's civil aviation authority) awards airlines and airports for punctuality, customer satisfaction, accessibility, and more. This year's awards were handed out in March, and Azul was voted the best airline in Brasil using ANAC's customer satisfaction index.
Azul's awards do not stop there, and there are too many to list. But perhaps, one crucial thing to note is that the airline has Brazil's highest percentage of resolved complaints against any Brazilian airline.
I have had the honor of flying on Azul 53 times in the last 13 months and have been able to experience the incredible service the airline provides firsthand. It does not come as a surprise that the airline is seeing so much success.
Have you ever flown on Azul? Where did you fly to/from? If you have not flown on Azul, what destination would you like to visit with the Brazilian airline? Let us know in the comments below!