Azul Linhas Aéreas, a company founded by David Neeleman, will debut a daily flight between Campinas (city near São Paulo, the largest Brazilian metropolis) and New York from June.
It will be the third city in the US served by the airline that has been flying to Fort Laudardale and Orlando for a few years. The night flights will debut on June 15 and will be operated by A330-200 and A330-900 jets.
The airline chose John F. Kennedy Airport as the flight destination possibly to take advantage of its JetBlue partner’s hub in the country – the American company was also founded by Neeleman.
LATAM is currently the only Brazilian airline to fly between the country and New York, with a daily flight to Sao Paulo (Guarulhos). The three major US airlines also operate the route, but only United Airlines uses Newark Airport.
Until March of last year, New York also received a daily flight from Avianca Brasil, but the company interrupted the frequency after entering bankruptcy.
New international destinations
Founded in 2008, Azul Linhas Aéreas started its service on less crowded routes with Embraer E190 aircraft. Based at Viracopos Airport, 100 km from Sao Paulo, the company has made it its main hub where it currently operates flights to over 100 cities.
The Brazilian airline has experienced rapid growth in recent years, expanding its fleet with jets such as the A330-900, A320neo and E195-E2, of which it is the launch customer.
International expansion is expected to continue in the coming months. Azul is studying a new route to Europe (where it flies to Portugal only) that could be Paris, as well as a third destination rumored to be a city on the US West Coast.
