Carrier Azul bid farewell to a symbolic aircraft in its history on Thursday. The Embraer E190 registration PR-AZL left Brazil bound for Europe to be returned to its lessor.
The 100-seat jet was the first to fly with the airline founded by David Neeleman, having been transferred by JetBlue, then Azul’s sister company, in September 2008.
Following a tradition in the company, the PR-AZL was baptized as “O Rio de Janeiro continua Azul (Rio de Janeiro continues Blue)” and witnessed the growth of the aircraft fleet, which today totals 156 planes.
“It is a moment of great emotion for us, because this aircraft symbolizes the beginning of our history, Azul’s first steps in Brazil. From 2008 until now, we have grown a lot and, together with our crew, we have become the best airline in the country. world!” said John Rodgerson, Azul CEO.
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The return of the E190, one of the three still flying with the company, is part of Azul’s fleet modernization plan. The carrier still flies 46 first-generation Embraer E1 aircraft, which should be gradually replaced by 2026.
Azul planned to speed up this renovation, bringing in more E195-E2 jets, but the pandemic momentarily frustrated their plans. Until November, it had received only nine of these new planes, through leasing, in addition to having a firm order for 51 units from Embraer.