Azul Linhas Aéreas will have a new fifth freedom service between the Netherlands Antilles and the United States, extending the flights between Belo Horizonte and Curaçao to Fort Lauderdale as of December.
Flights will take off from Tancredo Nevesa Airport at 10:40 am on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays and land in Curaçao at 3:40 pm. The return from the Caribbean island will be at 13:10 hours on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays, arriving in the capital of Minas Gerais at 20:10 hours.
Customers can also connect to the United States with service between Curaçao and Fort Lauderdale. The aircraft will depart Willemstad at 16:55 hours and arrive in the U.S. city at 19:00 hours on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. The return from the Florida city is at 08:00 , landing at 11:55 on the island every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.
The non-stop service between Belo Horizonte and Fort Lauderdale will reduce its capacity from an Airbus A330neo to A320neo, the schedule increases from 2 to 6 weekly flights, four of them via Curaçao.
The reduction of kerosene and Minas Gerais state government taxes are key elements to increase connectivity and promote tourism in the region. In 2023 around 26,000 Brazilians visited Curaçao, and this year in the period from January to July 25,000, Azul has operated 167 flights between Belo Horizonte and Willemstad, initially with a weekly frequency. In response to increased demand, the frequency was doubled to two weekly flights as of October 2023.
“The results have been wonderful, we are going to double the numbers. From December there will be four flights from Belo Horizonte to Curaçao. From Curaçao we will have flights to Fort Lauderdale with the same ticket,” said César Grandolfo, Azul’s Institutional Relations Manager.
