in
Fort Lauderdale Foundation and early years Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras S.A. was the fourth airline launched by JetBlue founder David Neeleman (after Morris Air, WestJet and JetBlue). Azul inaugurated services in the Brazilian
domestic market on 15 December 2008 between Campinas and 3 cities:
Rio de Janeiro,
Salvador, and
Porto Alegre. It launched operations with three
Embraer 195 and two
Embraer 190 aircraft. Another three aircraft were added in January 2009 to introduce nonstop service from
Campinas to both
Vitória and
Curitiba. with all flights carrying only the IATA code of Azul. On 6 March 2013, Brazilian authorities gave the final approval for the merger with a few restrictions related to code-sharing with
TAM Airlines and slot use at
Rio de Janeiro–Santos Dumont Airport. On 6 May 2014, the merger process was completed with the final approval from Brazilian authorities. That day the brand TRIP ceased to exist and all TRIP assets were transferred to Azul. While the airline is not currently a full member in an
airline alliance, it signed a codeshare agreement with
Star Alliance airline
United Airlines in January 2014, which made it possible for
MileagePlus members to earn points when flying with Azul beginning 1 April 2014. Since 2015, Azul is also an equal partner in a Brazilian–Portuguese joint venture that was the majority owner of
TAP Air Portugal, another
Star Alliance member, before its buy-out by the Portuguese state. In December 2014, Azul started its first scheduled international flights, to
Fort Lauderdale on 2 December and
Orlando on 15 December, both in the United States.
Development since 2015 In early 2015, it was announced that Azul had signed a purchase agreement for 35
Airbus A320neo aircraft. It was also to lease a further 28 of the aircraft type. In mid 2015, Azul finalised a deal for 30
Embraer 195-E2 aircraft, including 20 options, first announced at the 2014
Farnborough International Air Show. The first delivery was scheduled for 2020. On 24 November 2015, it was announced that the Chinese
HNA Group, owner of
Hainan Airlines, would invest US$450 million in Azul, becoming its largest single shareholder. This follows the US$100 million investment of
United Airlines closed in June 2015. Azul signed a nonbinding deal to buy
Avianca Brasil's assets on 11 March 2019, calling for the rehiring of all Avianca Brazil's staff and the merger between the two carriers, with Azul as the surviving brand. On 14 January 2020, Azul Brazilian Airlines signed an agreement to purchase
TwoFlex. On 27 March 2020, the Brazilian regulatory bodies approved the purchase and sale of flights started on 14 April 2020. TwoFlex operates as a feeder airline to Azul. On May 28, 2025, Azul Brazilian Airlines filed for
Chapter 11 bankruptcy after being affected with higher expenses within the last year. The company has plans to shed up to $2 billion in debt, receive $1.6 billion in financing throughout the procedure, and an additional $950 million in financing upon exiting bankruptcy, with bondholders and strategic partners such as
American Airlines and
United Airlines supporting the restructuring. Azul stated that they plan to exit bankruptcy in the beginning of 2026. == Corporate affairs ==