Azul orders 35 A320neo

Brazilian airline complements fleet with A320s for domestic long haul flights

Azul Brazilian Airlines has signed a purchase agreement for 35 A320neo Family aircraft. The airline, which is also leasing another 28 A320neo aircraft, has chosen the A320neo Family to carry out domestic long haul flights and high density routes, including Campinas – Salvador and Campinas – Recife. For Azul, an important driver for selecting the A320neo was the aircraft’s low operating costs and excellent fuel efficiency. Azul has selected CFM engines for their A320neo fleet.

“Azul is an airline that truly serves all of Brazil. With more than 100 destinations , Azul will soon offer even more seats on our longer haul flights, allowing us to reduce operating costs,” said David Neeleman, CEO and Founder of Azul. “In addition to its market leading economics, which will allow Azul to stimulate new demand, the A320neo is also a perfect complement to our E-Jet fleet, giving us additional seats and capacity that can be dedicated to strategic projects like TudoAzul, Azul Viagens and Azul Cargo.”

“Airbus welcomes Azul to the A320 Family and is proud that they will rely on the A320neo’s unbeatable productivity and fuel efficiency to expand their services,” said John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer, Customers. “We are pleased that Azul recognizes Airbus’ commitment to Brazil and the importance of operating the high performance A320neo in key airports such as Santos Dumont in Rio. This order truly underscores the leading position of the A320neo in the single aisle market.”

In April, Azul announced that it would start operating long haul flights by early December. The airline expects to fly new international routes with a fleet of 12 leased wide body Airbus aircraft, including seven Airbus A330-200 and later five Airbus A350-900 equipped with Rolls-Royce engines.

Airbus has obtained regulatory approval for training of A350 XWB airline pilots in accordance with the original goal of an A330/A350 “Common Type Rating” (CTR). This will enable Azul pilots to benefit from reduced training time in the transition from one Airbus jetliner model to another, resulting in significant benefits for airline profitability, pilot productivity and scheduling flexibility.‎
The A320 Family is the world’s best-selling single aisle product line with almost 11,000 orders to date and over 6,200 aircraft delivered to 400 customers and operators worldwide. Thanks to its widest cabin, all members of the A320 Family offer the industry’s best level of comfort in all classes and Airbus’ 18” wide seats in economy as standard. The newest member of the A320 Family, the A320neo, incorporates new generation engines and Sharklets (wing tip devices) which together deliver more than 15 percent in fuel savings. Firm orders for the NEO reached over 3,200 aircraft from 60 customers, representing a 60 percent market share in its category.