COVID 19: Brazil’s Azul - advantages in multi fleet strategy

Brazil's Azul believes the use of multiple fleet types is creating an advantage as the company navigates the crisis created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Brazil's government has mandated that airlines operate essential air services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Azul has a range of aircraft at its disposal, spanning from nine-seat Cessna Caravans to 214 A320neo family jets, to match capacity with demand that is starting a slow recovery in the country. Azul's current assumption is that it should be operating 40% of its original schedule in Dec-2020.

Although Azul has always operated a lower cost, hybrid model in Brazil's market, it has not adopted the the conventional strategy of point-to-point operations, and operates a hub structure in the country.

A diverse fleet and a network that optimises connections have been mainstays of Azul's strategy for most of its 12 years of operations, and those elements continue to serve the airline favourably as it works to optimise its schedule in what remains a challenging operating environment.