Brazilian airline Azul purchases another 10 Embraer 195 jets, with deliveries as of 2015
14-Feb-2012 Just four months after acquiring 11 EMBRAER 195 jets, in October 2011, Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras confirmed ten more options, today, for the purchase of the same model, which will be used on its routes, beginning in 2015. The agreement raises the total number of airplanes under contract to 62 (57 E195s and five E190s), 33 of which are already in operation, together with another five E190s bought by Azul from other companies.
The total value of the deal, at list price, is USD 478 million. The new E195s will have a 118-seat, single-class layout, and they will support Azul's future growth. After a little over three years of operation, the airline has carried 15 million passengers. Brazil's third largest airline currently serves 44 destinations, with more than 350 flights, daily, and is responsible for nearly 10% of domestic passenger traffic.
"With Embraer's E-Jets as the base of its fleet, Azul has shown outstanding growth since operations began at the end of 2008," said Paulo Cesar de Souza e Silva, President, Embraer Commercial Aviation. "By capitalizing on medium and low-density routes that were previously overlooked, Azul created and consolidated a new business model for Brazilian aviation, through top-quality services for people who, in many cases, are first-time flyers."
David Neeleman, the airline's founder and chairman of the Board of Directors of Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras, points out that this new purchase reinforces the company's link with the manufacturer, since it involves a fleet expansion plan for 2015. "This order underlines our belief that the E-Jets are the right airplanes for developing Azul's operations in Brazil over the coming years. This additional capacity will help our growth and our mission to bring safety, comfort and accessible air transportation to Brazil."