Azul Brazilian Airlines

Azul Brazilian Airlines was founded in 2008 by David Neeleman, who conceived the airline while analyzing the Brazilian aviation market and identifying that hundreds of millions of Brazilians in medium and small cities lacked reasonable access to air travel. Neeleman partnered with Brazilian investors and secured initial funding of approximately $200 million. Azul received its Brazilian aviation authority certificate in May 2008 and launched commercial operations on December 15, 2008 with inaugural flights between Campinas and several northeastern Brazilian cities. The airline grew with extraordinary speed — reaching one million passengers within its first year of operations and expanding to 25+ cities within eighteen months.

Azul ordered Embraer E195 jets from Brazilian manufacturer Embraer, a strategic decision that generated significant goodwill in Brazil and provided the airline with excellent aircraft for its thin regional routes. The airline went public on the São Paulo stock exchange in April 2017 and simultaneously listed American Depositary Receipts on the New York Stock Exchange. Azul acquired Trip Airlines in 2012 and later merged with TRIP Linhas Aéreas to dramatically expand its regional network. The airline launched international operations in 2015 with routes to Fort Lauderdale and later expanded to Lisbon, Paris, and other international destinations.

Azul has consistently grown its market share in Brazil, becoming the country's largest carrier by number of cities served.