Azul eyes European debut in mid-2Q

during the second quarter of this year with direct Campinas Viracopos-Lisbon flights.
The Brazilian LCC said in a statement that it has applied to both the Brazilian and Portuguese authorities for permission to start the flights as early as May 4. Operated under codeshare with sister carrier TAP Portugal (TP, Lisbon), the flights will start-off as a 3x weekly service graduating to 6x weekly during the high season. The A330-200 will be used.

While TAP already operates the route, it has been denied additional slots thus warranting Azul's entry into the market.
TAP currently has a monopoly on direct flights between Portugal and Brazil serving Belém, Belo Horizonte Tancredo Neves, Brasilia, Campinas Viracopos, Fortaleza, Manaus, Natal Augusto Severo, Porto Alegre, Recife, Rio de Janeiro Int'l, Salvador, and São Paulo Guarulhos from its Lisbon hub. It also serves Rio de Janeiro Int'l and São Paulo Guarulhos from Porto.

In addition to ATR72s and EMB-190s to be transferred to White (WI, Lisbon) and PGA Portugalia Airlines (NI, Lisbon) for TAP Express operations, Azul will also transfer two A330-200s to TAP Portugal in June shifting capacity from the weak Brazilian market to its new sister carrier. As a result, Azul will cancel its Belo Horizonte Tancredo Neves-Orlando Int'l flights from March 1.

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