WILLEMSTAD- June 24, 2023 – The big day has arrived! The Azul Airlines airplane which carries the design of our iconic Handelskade waterfront has landed on Curaçao, thereby introducing a direct connection between Belo Horizonte in Brazil and Curaçao. Azul is the largest airline in Brazil in terms of the number of flights and destinations it serves. The weekly flight to Curaçao will be realized with an Airbus A320 aircraft with a capacity of 174 seats. The flight departs from the BH Airport in the city of Belo Horizonte on Saturdays at 1:00PM, arriving in Curaçao at 6:00PM. The flight departures from Curaçao are on Sundays at 8:30AM arriving in Belo Horizonte at 4:00PM. On the arrival of the first flight, the airplane was greeted with the traditional water salute. During the celebration of the inaugural flight, Mr. Vitor Silva, General Manager of Network and Strategic Planning of Azul Airlines shared the good news that additional flights will be added to the current schedule in October and November, and starting December 2023, the frequency will be doubled to twice a week. The news was very well received by all the dignitaries and guests who were present. The Azul Airlines flights come as the result of a growing demand from the Brazilian market.
The new connection of Azul Airlines will open up the possibility for more tourists to come experience all that Curaçao has to offer; an extensive portfolio of accommodations, a variety of tourist attractions, beautiful beaches, our rich history, different kinds of events, watersports, our local cuisine, international dishes and above all, our friendly people. The introduction of these direct flights between Brazil and Curaçao also provides more travel options to our local people. During the inaugural flight ceremony, the Minister of Economic Development, Mr. Ruisandro Cijntje, the Minister of Traffic, Transport and Urban Planning, Mr. Charles Cooper, Mr. Vitor Silva, General Manager of Network and Strategic Planning of Azul Airlines and Mr. Jonny Andersen, CEO of CAP, all gave short speeches to acknowledge and celebrate this important occasion. Moreover, Minister Cijntje, Minister Cooper, and Minister Martina together with Mr. Hugo Clarinda, deputy director of CTB and Mr. Jonny Andersen (CAP), handed a commemorative plaque to Mr. Silva, on which a beautiful picture of our Handelskade was displayed.
The Government of Curaçao, the Curaçao Tourist Board (CTB), Curaçao Airport Partners (CAP) and Curaçao Airport Holding (CAH) congratulate Azul Airlines with its new destination, Curaçao!