Azul Linhas Aéreas will establish its first route between cities outside Brazil in December, using its 5th Freedom.
The Brazilian carrier will increase its flights between Belo Horizonte, Brazil, and Curaçao, in the Dutch Antilles, from two to four weekly flights, and will extend its route to Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Flights will depart the Brazilian city on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 10:40 a.m., arriving at 3:40 p.m. on the Caribbean island. They will take off for Fort Lauderdale at 4:55 p.m., where they will land at 7:00 p.m.
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The return flight will take place the following day at 8:00 a.m. from Fort Lauderdale, arriving at 11:55 a.m. in Curaçao. Departure to Belo Horizonte is at 1:10 p.m., arriving at 8:10 p.m. All flights are local and operated with the Airbus A320neo, with 174 seats.
First flight with 5th Freedom
Azul began flights to Curaçao on June 24, 2023, and transported more than 22,000 passengers in the first year. In October of that year, the flight began to operate twice a day.
The airline will also continue to operate two weekly flights between Belo Horizonte and Fort Lauderdale nonstop with the widebody A330.
Brazil and Curaçao have 5th Freedom agreements, which allow Azul to sell the route between Curaçao and the Florida city.
This is an important milestone for the Brazilian airline, as it is the first route it operates with 5th Freedom.
Apparently the increase in flights and the extension to Fort Lauderdale were a creative strategy to increase capacity during the peak season while there is a shortage of long-haul aircraft for the routes.
This is because the A330neos from Air Asia are undergoing a retrofit, which was brought forward due to criticism the company received from passengers due to the uncomfortable seating configuration.
There is no information on whether the increase in the route and the extension to Fort Lauderdale will be seasonal.
