Azul Conecta targets 200 cities and bets on executive aviation, says CEO
Leader in regional aviation and serving around 150 cities, Azul Conecta wants to expand its network to 200 destinations in the country, in addition to increasing its presence in executive aviation, driven by the arrival of the Pilatus PC12, a high-performance single-engine turboprop aircraft for this type of transport, according to Conecta's CEO, Vitor Cordeiro, to CNN.
Last week, Conecta announced another route in Minas Gerais, connecting Belo Horizonte to Diamantina, in the Jequitinhonha Valley, with flights on Mondays, Fridays and Sundays.
In addition to Diamantina, the company announced in May the connection between the capital of Minas Gerais and São João Del Rei, in Zona da Mata, also with three weekly frequencies. Operations for both routes begin from August 2.
-
Change imageChange image
1 of 7
Image shows Azul Conecta hangar, in Jundiaí (SP) - Rafael Villarroel/CNN
-
Change imageChange image
2 of 7
Image shows Azul Conecta hangar, in Jundiaí (SP) - Rafael Villarroel/CNN
-
Swap imageSwap imageSwap image
3 of 7
Image shows Azul Conecta hangar, in Jundiaí (SP) - Rafael Villarroel/CNN
-
Change imageChange image
-
Swap imageSwap imageSwap image
4 of 7
Image shows Cessna Caravan aircraft in an Azul Conecta hangar, in Jundiaí (SP) - Rafael Villarroel/CNN
-
Change imageChange image
5 out of 7
Image shows Cessna Caravan aircraft in an Azul Conecta hangar, in Jundiaí (SP) - Rafael Villarroel/CNN
-
Swap imageSwap imageSwap image
6 of 7
Image shows Cessna Caravan aircraft in an Azul Conecta hangar, in Jundiaí (SP) - Rafael Villarroel/CNN
-
Change imageChange image
-
Swap imageSwap imageSwap image
7 out of 7
Image shows Pilatus aircraft in Azul Conecta hangar, in Jundiaí (SP) - Rafael Villarroel/CNN
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
default view
full view
grid view
Regarding the plans for executive aviation, the CEO states that after the company's exit from the judicial recovery program in the United States, Chapter 11, Conecta is in a position to be more competitive, offering more flights and bringing more aircraft to the fleet.
"We continue with our main DNA, which is subregional aviation, but we also really want to develop and enter executive aviation", he said.
Currently, the subsidiary already provides charters and air taxi services, but with the arrival of the Pilatus plane, the company intends to expand the portfolio of services and support within executive and business aviation.
Also according to Cordeiro, the main objective is to make Conecta the "largest air taxi in Brazil".
Read the main highlights of the interview:
CNN: How does Azul Conecta evaluate the purchase of E2s by Latam and this expansion aimed at competition in regional aviation?
Vitor Cordeiro: It was a natural, developmental movement that Latam thought of. But the E2 is a plane that isn't that regional, right? It is a jet and a very large plane. It's a regional plane that doesn't fit in a regional airport. So, it's positive when we talk to the market, but Azul is very firm in continuing its development operating in even smaller cities.
Latam will end up entering cities where we already operate with jets. It is still limited to cities that do not have much infrastructure, which can only be operated with the ATR, with the Caravan, in a capillarity only Azul can have. And we will continue to invest in this.
CNN: Are there any more advanced routes being studied that you can advance?
Cordeiro: We are discussing with Rio Grande do Sul and Paraná possibilities to expand destinations. In the case of Rio Grande do Sul, it would be to have operations again. In Paraná, enlarge.
CNN: You have the Voe Paraná program, involving ICMS and state incentives. And in the past you also had this program in Rio Grande do Sul. How is this issue of more regional flights within the states themselves? Is there a possibility of a program like this in São Paulo on the horizon, considering the size of the state and the demand in the interior?
Cordeiro: There is always demand from the capital to the interior of the state. And then there are some states, specifically, where cities in the interior have a very large demand for São Paulo as well. In Paraná, there are more flights from Londrina, Maringá and Cascavel to São Paulo than to Curitiba.
We are looking at opportunities, and discussing with Rio Grande do Sul, Paraná and São Paulo itself to expand our network.
CNN: Is there any obstacle preventing this expansion?
In a context of rising fuel prices, not every city becomes viable for us in the current circumstances.
We need to understand what the states' possibilities are in helping us, whether with ICMS programs, publicizing the network, among other things. It has to be something tripartite for it to be sustainable.
CNN: Would the use of the Caravan, as it is a more versatile aircraft, allow Azul to reach cities where jets do not operate?
Cordeiro: The Caravan is known as the "tractor of the air". It can operate on very bad or unprepared tracks. But Caravan's flexibility does not exclude the need for investment in airports.
Even though it is a tough aircraft, we have safety requirements, and we agree 100% with Anac on this. So we're stopping operations until this is fixed.
In Breves (PA) and Monte Dourado (PA), we received notification from ANAC after they found pavement problems.
At the same time as the plane is very good and flexible, we also need these places to improve minimally, so as not to become a problem in the future.
What hinders the consolidation of a route is regularity. If the businessman doesn't know whether he will be able to land or not because of the infrastructure, he will go by car to a larger airport. This discourages demand.
CNN: What can we expect from Azul Conecta in Brazil, and what is the future of the company?
Cordeiro: Now that the company has left Chapter Eleven, it is in a more competitive position to bring in planes and offer more flights. At Conecta, we continue with the main DNA of subregional aviation, but we also really want to develop executive aviation.
The arrival of Pilatus is to help with this: business aviation and service provision.
We want to expand this portfolio within executive aviation and general aviation, because Brazil is the second largest executive aviation market in the world.
We have a market that exists, demands a lot, and Conecta can be a great supplier, as it has all the strength of Azul behind it and at the same time the flexibility to penetrate smaller and more specialized markets.
So we will continue to develop. Our goal is to make Conecta the largest air taxi in Brazil.
Source: CNN