Brazilian airline Azul caps off an ambitious 2014 with another stab at accessing the public markets

Brazilian airline Azul continues to shake up the country's aviation business in CY2014 through the launch of widebody operations, an order for Airbus narrowbodies and resuscitating its initial public offering that was shelved in CY2013.

Azul is basing its ambitions on the conclusion that there is significant upside for air travel in Brazil as growth projections over the medium to long term remain relatively robust. The airline believes it has built a solid network to accommodate the long-term demand, and is now making its case to potential investors that it is positioned to leverage the anticipated growth.

But the challenges Brazil's airlines have faced in the short term - namely a fragile economy - remain intact, and it is not certain if the market will rise to meet Azul's ambition.