Emirates has inked a codeshare agreement with Brazilian carrier Azul. The agreement will allow Azul passengers connections to and from eight destinations in Brazil onto Emirates’ flights from Sao Paulo. The agreement has received regulatory approval and will come into effect from 25th August, with tickets already on sale.
Access
In a statement today, Emirates announced its newest codeshare agreement with Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras, or just Azul as it’s commonly known. The deal will allow passengers on eight of Azul’s domestic destinations to connect onto or from Emirates’ flights to Sao Paulo. The following cities will be a part of the codeshare: Rio de Janeiro, Belem, Belo Horizonte, Cuiaba, Curitiba, Juazeiro Do Norte, Porto Alegre, and Recife.
This means passengers can now book flights from anywhere in Emirates’ network to these eight cities in Brazil on a single ticket. Essentially, this means a flight from Hong Kong to Recife will be a single itinerary and not require passengers to pick up their bags and check-in again at Sao Paulo airport, saving hours on the journey and giving Emirates a competitive edge.
Emirates is currently flying five weekly services to Sao Paulo using its Boeing 777-300ERs. However, it also had plans to fly the A380 in December 2020 due to strong demand, but this never happened due to operational issues. However, Brazil remains a popular market for the Dubai giant and the new codeshare will only increase traffic.
Critical
The codeshare agreement has got the nod of the Brazilian Federal Aviation Agency and will go into effect from 25th August. Ticket sales went live on 18th August for the one or two-stop journeys from Brazil to Dubai and likely onward to other destinations.
In a statement, Emirates CCO Adnan Kazim said,
“Emirates is delighted to be entering into a codeshare partnership with Azul to offer our customers an enhanced, smooth and convenient connectivity between eight cities in Brazil to/ from Dubai and our global network through Sao Paulo…With one ticket, our customers can access a seamless experience through check-in, bag check and boarding on every leg of their journey. We look forward to working with Azul and strengthening our partnership in the days to come.”
There is also a major point-to-point market between UAE and Brazil. The country offers Brazilians visa-free access to the country, attracting tourists and business travel. After months of restrictions, there could be demand in the coming months to visit the bustling UAE hub.
Not the only one
Azul is not the only airline Emirates currently has a codeshare with. In 2019, the airline signed an agreement with LATAM Brasil to serve 17 domestic Brazilian destinations. However, with LATAM Brasil possibly being taken over by Azul and the former not currently using the codeshare, Emirates is preparing for the future.
What do you think about Emirates’ latest codeshare in Brazil? Let us know in the comments!