DALLAS — According to Airbus, Brazilian carrier Azul (AD) has ordered an additional three Airbus A330-900 aircraft. This brings the airline's fleet of Airbus A330neo to eight examples. These new additions to the fleet will be powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines.

In 2019, Azul became the first airline in South America to operate the Airbus A330-900. Now the carrier has five examples in its fleet. Additionally, the carrier has seven older Airbus A330-200s in its fleet, with five aircraft in service with an average age of 18 years. The carrier plans to replace these older A330s with A350s in the coming years.

In 2014, the carrier placed an order for the Airbus A350 aircraft. The first example was supposed to enter Azul's fleet in 2017 but ended up being delayed. On September 14, 2022, AD took delivery of a five-year-old Airbus A350-900, which was first delivered to Hong Kong Airlines (HX) in 2017. Hainan Airlines Group, which is Hong Kong Airlines' majority shareholder, was also a shareholder in AD.

The carrier announced that its first A350 would operate from Azul's base at Aeroporto Internacional de Viracopos (VCP) to Orlando International Airport (MCO) starting on December 15. Currently, the carrier operates twice daily flights between MCO and VCP, but only one of the flights will be operated by the A350 until January 1, 2023, when the carrier is set to receive its second A350, and both of its flights to MCO will be on the A350.

Since launching its service in 2008, AD has been Brazil's fastest airline. It currently flies to over 150 destinations and operates a fleet of short-haul and long-haul aircraft. It flies non-stop to South America, Europe, and U.S. destinations.

Comments from Azul and Airbus Officials

Azul CEO John Rodgerson commented, "We are delighted to have secured three more next-gen Airbus widebody aircraft, which ensures the complete transformation of our fleet. We are focused on keeping our widebody fleet stable while at the same time benefiting from the fuel efficiency savings from these aircraft."

Christian Scherer, Airbus Chief Commercial Officer and Head of Airbus International, commented, "We applaud Azul's decision that shows their forward-looking strategy and proves the economics and performance of the A330neo are most compelling."

The CCO added, "The A330neo is the perfect tool to support Azul in expanding its fleet with the right-sized, modern wide-body, leveraging the latest technology and efficiency and contributing to reducing CO2."

Featured image: Azul Airbus A330-900. Render: Airbus