Brazilian Airline Azul Avoids Brazil's Busiest Route

Ask David Neeleman, majority owner of Brazilian airline Azul and founder of JetBlue Airways, and he’ll say Brazil’s busiest route is just that: too busy. With more than 280 daily flights, the 45-minute trip between São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro is already the world’s most-served route. But while aviation disrupters such as Richard Branson’s Virgin Atlantic Airways grew by going wing-to-wing against incumbents between major cities, Neeleman says his Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras will likely use slots it wins at São Paulo’s domestic airport to strengthen its hold on small cities other airlines don’t fly to.