Embraer is training professionals from Azul Linhas Aéreas, in preparation for the airline to begin operations in January 2009. The program began with 14 maintenance technicians, who are at the Company’s headquarters, in São José dos Campos, for 40 days, where a second group, consisting of 13 flight attendants, continues to train.
Ten pilots have already concluded the theoretical classes, and went directly to Orlando, Florida, in the U.S., where they are training on Embraer aircraft flight simulators. The first EMBRAER 195 jets should be delivered to Azul in the second half of 2008.
Headed by businessman David Neeleman, Azul signed a contract with Embraer, in March of this year, for the purchase of 36 EMBRAER 195 jets. The agreement also includes options for another 20 aircraft and purchase rights for 20 more.
Azul’s EMBRAER 195 jets will be configured in a single-class layout, comfortably accommodating 118 passengers. A state-of-the-art in-flight entertainment system, with live TV and individual screens, will be available, and each passenger may select the programming of their preference. With its range of 2,200 nautical miles (4,077 km), the jet will be able to fly nonstop routes between any two major Brazilian cities.
Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras S.A. will begin operation in January 2009, and for that purpose it has ordered a fleet of 76 Embraer jets. The focus is on offering distinctive, superior quality service, without hub airports, linking cities that are not served by current airlines. The routes that will be operated by the company have yet to be established. After the delivery of the first aircraft, the company expects to receive one airplane per month for three years, totaling 36 by the end of 2011.
EMBRAER News Release São José dos Campos, August 18, 2008