Brazil's Azul to Add 11 Jets From Airbus

By Luciana Magalhaes

SAO PAULO--Brazilian low-cost airline Azul Linhas Aereas Brasileiras SA on Wednesday said it will add 11 Airbus jets to its fleet, as part of its plans to start international flights.

The airline, created by JetBlue founder David Neeleman, said it plans to start regular flights from Brazil to the U.S. in the first quarter of 2015. The first flight is expected to be from the city of Campinas city, in Sao Paulo state, to Florida.

Azul, Brazil's third-largest airline by traffic, said it plans to lease three Airbus A330-200 jets and another five Airbus A350-900 planes from International Lease Finance Corp., a unit of American International Group Inc. (AIG).

The company didn't say whether the other three Airbus A330-200 jets would be leased or acquired.

The A330-200 jets will start to be delivered in the first half of 2014, while the A350-900 planes will begin to be delivered at the start of 2017, the company said during a press conference.

Azul has a market share of nearly 18% and a fleet of 136 jets.

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