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  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

Eight years ago, Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras (commonly known as Azul) took delivery of its first Airbus A330 aircraft. The Airbus A330 is the only widebody aircraft in Azul's fleet, with the Brazilian airline operating both the ceo and neo variants. Let's have a look at the origins and current operations of Azul's A330 fleet.

Early days of the Azul A330

On June 25, 2014, Azul acquired its first Airbus A330ceo aircraft. Before arriving in Brazil, the A330-200 was painted in Azul's livery in the United States by MRO provider AAR, in Lake Charles, Louisiana. The aircraft made its first landing on Brazilian soil in Belo Horizonte at the Aeroporto Internacional de Confins / Tancredo Neves for its national certification process.

Like every aircraft in the Azul fleet, the A330 was given a nickname. Registered as PR-AIZ, Azul's first A330 was nicknamed América Azul (Portuguese for Blue America). At the time of delivery, Azul had plans to use the first widebody aircraft in its fleet on international flights. These flights would depart from its base at the Aeroporto Internacional de Viracopos (VCP) in Campinas, Brazil and provide service to Fort Lauderdale (FLL) and Orlando (MCO).

Azul's current Airbus A330 fleet and operations

Azul announced in April 2014 that it would acquire six A330 and five Airbus A350-900 aircraft, the latter which were expected to enter into service in 2017. In December 2014, Azul's A330 took off from VCP and headed to FLL on its first revenue flight. Since then, the A330 has become the focus of Azul's international operations and even a few domestic routes.

According to planespotters.net, Azul currently has 12 Airbus A330 aircraft, nine of which are in operation. Of the 12 A330s, there are five of the newer -900 (neo) variant with an average age of 2.6 years and seven of the older -200 (ceo) variant with an average age of 20.2 years. Planespotters.net lists two parked -200, but it is unclear whether the two are the aircraft that were recently sold to the Força Aérea Brasileira (FAB), the Brazilian Air Force.

According to Cirium, the aviation analytics company, Azul currently operates its widebody aircraft on three international routes and two domestic routes. The A330s are flown to Fort-Lauderdale (FLL), Orlando (MCO), Lisbon (LIS) and domestically to Manaus (MAO) and Recife (REC). Between these routes, Azul is operating a total of 82 flights per week this June using its A330 aircraft, 8 more per week than in June 2019.

In June 2019, Azul operated international routes on its widebodies from three different airports in Brazil, Viracopos (VCP), Recife (REC), and Belo Horizonte - Confins (CNF). Although Azul is no longer operating international flights from REC and CNF, the reason it operates more flights per week than in June 2019 is because of the large number of domestic flights with the A330.

Of the 82 flights per week, 38 are domestic, flying between VCP and Recife, and VCP and Manaus (MAO).

Will Azul ever operate the A350?

Azul has had quite the saga with the A350, starting with a lease agreement for five of the -900 variant in 2014. The Brazilian airline expected its first A350 to enter into service in 2017, but never took delivery of the aircraft.

Last October, the Simple Flying team wrote an article about the Azul A350s - Will Azul Ever Take Delivery Of The Airbus A350?

On November 28, 2014, AerCap Holdings announced that Azul had signed a lease agreement for 20 Airbus A320neos and five A350s. At the time, founder of Azul, David Neeleman, said,

“Azul is an airline that truly serves all of Brazil. With more than 100 destinations, Azul will soon offer even more seats on our long-haul flights, allowing us to reduce operating costs.”

Rumors have circulated in Brasil during the last few years, and the anticipation for the A350 is growing. There have been rumors of new delivery dates, aircraft being painted in Abu Dhabi, crew being sent overseas to be trained on the new aircraft, and even rumors of the entire process being abandoned.

Most recently, a tweet from TARMAC Aerosave raised the level of excitement for many aviation enthusiasts in Brazil.

In Airbus' order and deliveries book, Airbus still registers an order for four A350-900s from Azul. Although Airbus' book reflects the Azul A350s, Azul remains silent on the matter. At the end of April, during a visit to Azul's MRO Hangar, I spoke with a member of Azul's staff, and they were unable to provide me with any details.

Have you ever flown on Azul's A330 aircraft? How was your experience? Do you think Azul will ever take delivery of the Airbus A350? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Source: planespotters.net , Cirium