Brazil's third-biggest airline Azul will add 11 wide-body aircraft from Airbus to start service to the United States.
Azul Linhas Aereas said it would receive six Airbus A330-200s in early 2015, when the airline will begin flying overseas, and five Airbus A350-900s starting in early 2017.
Together the planes are worth close to USD$2 billion at list prices, executives said at a news conference near Azul's hub in Campinas, outside Sao Paulo. The airline has secured leasing deals from industry financier ILFC for eight of the planes. It is still negotiating the lease or purchase of three A330s.
The selection of Airbus is another blow to Boeing in Latin America's biggest market. Boeing also lost out on a coveted Brazilian fighter jet contract in December.
The expansion will transform Azul, which is controlled by JetBlue Airways founder David Neeleman, from a niche regional carrier into an international player directly challenging heavyweight LATAM Airlines Group, which controls Brazil's number one carrier, TAM.
Read more: Azul Orders Airbus Jets To Start US Flights
Azul Linhas Aereas said it would receive six Airbus A330-200s in early 2015, when the airline will begin flying overseas, and five Airbus A350-900s starting in early 2017.
Together the planes are worth close to USD$2 billion at list prices, executives said at a news conference near Azul's hub in Campinas, outside Sao Paulo. The airline has secured leasing deals from industry financier ILFC for eight of the planes. It is still negotiating the lease or purchase of three A330s.
The selection of Airbus is another blow to Boeing in Latin America's biggest market. Boeing also lost out on a coveted Brazilian fighter jet contract in December.
The expansion will transform Azul, which is controlled by JetBlue Airways founder David Neeleman, from a niche regional carrier into an international player directly challenging heavyweight LATAM Airlines Group, which controls Brazil's number one carrier, TAM.
Read more: Azul Orders Airbus Jets To Start US Flights
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