Azul, Hainan Airlines pledge to open up Brazil-China flights

Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras (AD, Campinas Viracopos) has signed a cooperation agreement with Hainan Airlines (HU, Haikou) in which the two carriers have pledged to open up flights between Brazil and China. 

Brazil's O Povo newspaper reports the agreement, which was signed in Beijing at the beginning of the month, will pave the way for flights between China and the north-eastern Brazilian town of Fortaleza using Lisbon as an intermediate stopover.

Should it launch, the service would be either airlines' maiden venture into the other's home market. At present, Air China (CA, Beijing Capital) is the only carrier to connect the two BRICS nations offering a 2x weekly Beijing Capital-São Paulo Guarulhos service via Madrid Barajas.

While Azul currently specializes in budget Brazilian operations, its incoming fleet of A330-200s and A350-900s has allowed it to open up flights to the United States with Europe expected to follow at some point in the future. For its part, Hainan Airlines serves destinations throughout Asia, the CIS, and Europe. However, its Americas operations are limited to the United States and Canada.

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Photo:Rui Silva