US’s Breeze Airways eyes South American growth

Breeze Airways (MX, Salt Lake City) sees potential to serve Brazil from its bases in Florida using its forthcoming A220-300s, founder David Neeleman said during the World Aviation Festival in London.

“There’s just a lot of capitalism in Brazil if we can get that range up to where we think we can. We can serve 10 or 12 cities in Brazil from Florida, which would be incredible,” he said.

He added that the carrier would also contemplate other unspecified destinations in South America, as well as services to Hawaii. However, Breeze Airways is unlikely to enter the transatlantic market which Neeleman considers too seasonal and competitive.

Breeze does not have any bases in Florida at this moment. The ch-aviation PRO airlines module shows that it bases its crews out of Salt Lake City and Norfolk Int’l, VA.

Currently, the carrier focuses on domestic operations within the mainland US with its fleet of ten E190s and three E195s. The bulk of its flights is up to 2.5 hours long. The airline said previously that it would continue using the Embraers for short-haul regional routes, while the A220s will be used for medium-haul services. Breeze Airways has eighty A220-300s due from Airbus (including twenty more ordered in September 2021). The ch-aviation fleets advanced module shows the first three units are expected by the end of this year.

Breeze Airways’ A220s will be configured for up to 126 passengers, including a sizeable business class seating up to 36 passengers. Neeleman explained that the operating costs of a premium seat for Breeze were about 40% higher than those of an economy seat. However, the airline is able to sell premium fares for more than 40% more than economy class tickets.

While he would not comment in detail, Neeleman expressed cautious interest in the extended range version of the A220-300.

Neeleman is also the founder and the minority shareholder of Brazil’s Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras (AD, Sao Paulo Viracopos).