-- Azul Also Adds Additional Frequencies to São Paulo From Both Orlando and Fort Lauderdale --
ORLANDO, Fla., May 11, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Azul Brazilian Airlines, Brazil's largest airline by cities served, is expanding its service between the U.S. and Brazil, with a new route to Belo Horizonte, the first-ever nonstop flight on the route, starting November 16, 2015.
Belo Horizonte is Azul's second hub destination, where Orlando travelers will be able to connect to more than 80 Azul flights daily, to more than 30 destinations.
"We're so excited to add this new service for the hundreds of thousands of Brazilians living in Central Florida and the millions in Brazil who love to visit Orlando," said David Neeleman, Azul's Founder and CEO. "We're so excited to have received such a warm welcome since our first Orlando flight six months ago and we look forward to welcoming US travelers to Belo Horizonte."
Starting November 16 through December 13, the new flight will operate five daily per week (Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday), departing Orlando (MCO) at 8:15pm, arriving in Belo Horizonte at 7:35am the next morning. The return flight will operate the same days, departing Belo Horizonte at 12:30pm, arriving at MCO at 5:50pm. From December 14, the new service will operate daily on the same schedule.
Azul began service from Orlando International Airport in December last year with daily nonstop service to São Paulo/Campinas, the airline's main hub. Between July 1 and August 9, Azul also will add an additional three weekly flights for a total of 10 roundtrips per week from Orlando. Azul also plans to add three additional weekly roundtrip on a regular basis between Fort Lauderdale to São Paulo/Campinas to its daily nonstop service staring on July 1.
About Azul
Azul, the largest airline in Brazil by number of cities served, offers more than 900 daily flights to 105 destinations. With a fleet of 153 aircraft and more than 10,000 crewmembers, the company currently has a 32% share of departures of the Brazilian aviation market. Among other awards, Azul was named best low cost carrier in South America for the fourth consecutive time by Skytrax in 2014 and best low cost carrier in the world by CAPA in 2012. The airline also had best on-time performance in Brazil in 2014 and was recognized by FlightStats as having the best on-time performance in South America in 2012. For more information visit www.voeazul.com.br