United Airlines increases stake in Brazil’s Azul
United Airlines has more than doubled its stake in Brazilian carrier Azul.
United has upped its stake from 3.7% to 8% in a private transaction with fellow investor Hainan Airlines.
The deal is worth an estimated $138.3 million.
Hainan still retains a 17.2% stake in Azul.
United is interested in formalizing a joint venture alliance with Azul to capture more of the US-Brazil market.
"Following our initial investment in 2015, connecting traffic between our airlines is at an all-time high, significantly benefiting our customers traveling between the US and Brazil," said United CFO Andrew Levy.
"We continue to look for new ways to provide more connectivity for our customers, and we are excited about today’s announcement as Azul has been a great partner."
United and Azul operate codeshare services via Fort Lauderdale, Orlando and Sao Paulo Guarulhos airports.
Azul chief executive John Rodgerson said the increased stake sets up conditions for deeper cooperation between the carriers especially as Brazil just formally approved an Open Skies deal with the US.
That is expected to usher in a big increase in direct air links.
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Qatar Airways offers reduced timetable to over 60 destinations
Hands In, UATP join forces for airline multi-card payments
AirlineRatings reveals world's safest airline rankings for 2026
Vietnam warns airlines of possible flight reductions amid jet fuel shortages
Fliggy opens AI-powered travel bookings and developer tools