Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras (AD, São Paulo Viracopos) has taken delivery of its first A350-900 - F-WTAO (msn 168) - a 4.9-year-old ex-Hong Kong Airlines jet that was ferried from Lourdes/Tarbes to Belo Horizonte Tancredo Neves on September 14, 2022, and subsequently to São Paulo Viracopos on September 16, already in Azul's livery.
Owned by AerCap, it is the first of four used A350s the Brazilian carrier plans to add, of which one more will be delivered by the end of this year. And in a bizarre twist, although they are ex-Hong Kong Airlines stock, they were initially ordered by Azul itself. The Hong Kong carrier was a subsidiary of HNA Group, which was once also a minority shareholder of Azul.
"The A350 is part of our fleet renewal plan and will replace the A330-200 aircraft (which today operates our long-haul routes), as it consumes about 20% less fuel per seat," Chief Executive John Rodgerson said in a social media post.
Azul's A350s will be configured for up to 334 passengers, including 202 in economy class, 99 in economy plus, and 33 in business class. It will be re-registered as PR-AOY shortly.
The carrier's current widebody fleet comprises seven A330-200s and five A330-900s, the ch-aviation fleets module shows.
