- There are rumours about a possible acquisition of Latam Brasil by Azul, or a merger of the two carriers;
- Latam Brasil filed for bankruptcy protection under U.S. Chapter 11;
- Azul displays the best performance among Brazilian airlines.
John Rodgerson, CEO of Brazilian airline Azul, told news outlet Valor Econômico, that the company’s focus is on the integration of its flights and computer systems with those of Latam Brasil. The two companies recently signed a codeshare agreement and plan to start the new combined operation with 50 flights in August.
There are rumours about a possible acquisition of Latam Brasil by Azul, or a merger of the two carriers, which the executive said “is not impossible”. “But our current focus is on integrating flights. There is nothing concrete”, he said. Rodgerson also stated that Latam is in a “complicated phase”, after filing for bankruptcy protection under U.S. law in a New York court.
Azul registered the best performance among Brazilian airlines in the second quarter of 2020 and increased its market share from 24% to 39.4%, ahead of Gol and Latam.
In the third quarter, it displays the boldest strategy regarding the offer of flights. In July, it operated with an average of 240 flights per day, compared to 168 flights per day in June. In August, it will operate 303, reaching 80 destinations – a 290% increase over April, the worst month for the airline industry. These figures do not include flights shared with Latam.
