Azul's air cargo ambitions run high after a record year

Cargo was a major focus of Brazil's Azul Airlines before the COVID-19 pandemic, and after a record performance in its cargo business during 2021 the company is not resting on its laurels as Azul's logistics arm remains a key pillar of its strategy.

Although Azul has been involved in the transport of cargo since 2009 (one year after it launched passenger operations), the company has pushed up its investment in its cargo and logistics business during the past few years. Through its logistics arm Azul makes deliveries to 4,500 cities and has 48-hour delivery windows to 2,000 of those destinations.

Azul's chief revenue officer Abhi Shah said that he would be disappointed if Azul's fleet of Embraer freighters did not grow. He explained that the aircraft has advantages in terms of trip costs and the secondary cities it can access.

Azul believes there are opportunities to add more converted Embraer freighters to its fleet, and more broadly, to grow its cargo profile in the country significantly. The company has aspirations to model itself after a particular US cargo giant.