JETBLUE FOUNDER LAUNCHES BRAZILIAN AIRLINE AZUL

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 SAO PAULO 000471 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR WHA/EPSC AND EEB/TRA - TROBL, YVLIMAYE-DAVIS STATE PASS USTR FOR KATE DUCKWORTH FAA FOR BAHUMADA, CTFRANCESCHI, KBERQUIST DEPT OF TRANSPORTATION FOR BHEDBERG BUENOS AIRES FOR TSA ATTACHE MEXICO CITY FOR TSA ATTACHE MGALVAN NSC FOR GTOMASULO TREASURY FOR JHOEK SOUTHCOM FOR POLAD USAID FOR LAC/AA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAIR ECON EINV BEXP BR SUBJECT: JETBLUE FOUNDER LAUNCHES BRAZILIAN AIRLINE AZUL SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED--PLEASE PROTECT ACCORDINGLY REF: SAO PAULO 090 ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: By the end of 2008, start-up airline Azul Linhas Aereas (Blue Airlines),the fourth airline started by JetBlue founder David Neeleman, will be poised to initiate its inaugural flight in Brazil. With a business plan replicating JetBlue's, Neeleman is building the new airline with the expertise of former JetBlue executives, leased JetBlue aircraft, and utilizing JetBlue's training facilities in the U.S. As a Brazilian-American dual national, Neeleman is not subject to Brazil's restrictions on foreign participation in a Brazilian airline, allowing him to tap into a substantial and growing, yet underserved, aviation market. Azul plans to focus initially on point-to-point service in select domestic markets. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (SBU) On August 29 Consul General and Econoff met with the president of start-up Brazilian airline Azul Linhas Aereas (Blue Airlines),Pedro Janot. Azul was founded in March 2008 by David Neeleman, founder, former CEO, and former Chairman of JetBlue. Neeleman has US $200 million in financial support from institutional investors, and is courting Brazil's development bank, BNDES, for additional, locally-denominated loans. Janot told the Consul General that Azul's business plan anticipates US $1.5 billion in annual revenue within five years, which in today's market would make Azul Brazil's third largest airline. ¶3. (SBU) Azul's management is a mixture of former JetBlue executives and local aviation experts. The company has hired 200 employees, with expectations of reaching 6,000 once in full operation over the next three years. Janot told the Consul General that Azul will likely begin operations in January 2009, although other executives present said it could be as early as October 2008 depending on certification approval. Janot praised Brazil's civil aviation regulatory agency, ANAC, for their support throughout the process, but said that the certification has been held up by complaints from competitors. �0A; ¶4. (U) Following JetBlue's model, Azul plans to fly Brazilian-manufactured Embraer planes (E-195 and E-190),the first of which they recently received on lease from JetBlue. Azul and Embraer have a US $1.4 billion contract to purchase 36 E-195 aircraft for delivery over the next three years, with an option to buy an additional 36 aircraft. The aircraft will be equipped with General Electric engines and Honeywell avionics. Azul's first pilots are already being trained at JetBlue University in Orlando. The company's management and eventual 'Azul University' will be based in Alphaville, a suburb of Sao Paulo. Janot told the Consul General that Azul University will also have Brazil's first flight simulator. ¶5. (SBU) Azul is maintaining a tight hold on the details of their strategy so as to ensure market surprise, but Janot confirmed press speculation that the airline's operational hub will be Rio de Janeiro's domestic airport, Santos Dumont (SDU). Azul will adopt a point-to-point flight schedule, with initial focus on Santos Dumont and Viracopos (VCP) airport in Campinas, near Sao Paulo. Janot said that Azul is also very focused on accessing flight slots at Brazil's busiest airport, Congonhas (CGH),serving Sao Paulo's domestic SAO PAULO 00000471 002 OF 002 market. (COMMENT: Slot allocation at Congonhas airport is a very contentious issue. Current procedures favor established airlines, making it difficult for a start-up to get a foothold. Airlines such as TAM and GOL/VARIG are expected to fight any attempt by Azul to access this airport. END COMMENT.) ¶6. (SBU) The Consul General inquired about whether Azul has any future plans for the international market. Janot signaled that Azul's plans are ambitious, but that Azul "does not plan for international flights yet." (NOTE: In separate conversations with Econoff, Institutional Relations Manager set his sights on regional flights to Chile and Argentina. END NOTE.) With regards to possible codesharing agreements with international carriers, Janot said this is not currently under discussion, although they are working with international carriers to ensure smooth distribution of international passenger traffic. When asked about the possibility for synergies between JetBlue and Azul should JetBlue choose to apply for frequencies to Brazil (as was rumored after the June bilateral negotiations),Janot denied that this possibility is under active consideration, but admitted that "JetBlue would not have participated in bilateral negotiations if they didn't have some interest in the Brazilian market." ¶7. (U) Azul is betting that the Brazilian market will respond favorably to additional competition beyond two dominate carriers. According to Neeleman, ticket prices in Brazil are 50 percent higher than in the U.S. In addition, Azul expects that Brazil's travel market will continue its current trend of rapid expansion. According to the Brazilian airport authority INFRAERO, passenger traffic increased 8.2 percent between 2006 and 2007. (Note: By TAM's estimate, the sector has grown 12 percent annually for the past five years. End Note.) Brazil's burgeoning middle class ("the C class" as it is referred to in Brazil) today accounts for 51 percent of the population (compared to 31 percent in 2001 and 38 percent in 2005),with the expectation that an additional 20 million people will join the ranks over the next two years. With numbers like these, the future for domestic air travel appears bright. ¶8. (SBU) COMMENT: With ambitious plans to rival established airlines TAM and GOL/VARIG, Azul has adopted a sensible strategy of courting key decision-makers within the Brazilian government (GOB) who are eager to see the civil aviation market out of crisis mode. With new leadership in ANAC favorable to increased liberalization (septel),Azul is meeting a real market need. The company's move into the Brazilian market comes in the wake of major industry upheaval following the July 2007 crash of a TAM flight at Congonhas airport, and a September 2006 mid-air crash of a GOL flight - both accidents killing all passengers on board and tarnishing the public image of the companies. Promises of cheaper flights and improved in-flight services appeal to all Brazilians and in particular the growing Brazilian middle class that is just now starting to travel. Combined with national pride in Embraer jets - an icon of Brazilian technology and innovation - Azul has a strategy that bodes well for early success. END COMMENT ¶9. (U) This cable was cleared by the embassy in Brasilia. White