Is Azul Airlines Safe to Fly? (Complete Safety Analysis)

Azul Brazilian Airlines (AD), the largest Brazilian airline, is primarily considered a safe airline since its founding in 2008. With the carrier scoring 7 out of 7 safety ratings from AirlineRatings, Azul Airlines has become the first choice of several international flyers. Furthermore, a wide array of factors has contributed to the airline’s safety records.

Moreover, the airline operates flights to 136+ destinations across 8 countries, hosting approximately 31 million passengers annually. The next-generation fleet, extensive network, and participation in international audits highlight Azul Airlines’ commitment to passenger well-being.

Also, Azul Airlines has been awarded many prestigious awards based on its safety and reliability. This mainly includes the carrier being regarded as the ‘4-Star SkyTrax’ airline for its excellent performance in the aviation industry. Along with this, it has also been recognised as the ‘Best Airline in Latin America’ in 2019 at TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Awards.

How Safe is Azul Airlines?

As compared to other regional carriers such as LATAM and Gol, Azul Airlines has better safety ratings. The former has received a score of 4/7, and the latter 6/7 from AirlineRatings.com. Also, in spite of being a budget-friendly carrier, the airline has never compromised on passengers’ security.

Further, the ultramodern avionics fitted in the airline’s aircraft enhance the safety component for the travelers. An in-depth analysis of the airline is explained below for more clarity.

Azul Airlines Incident and Accident History

Equally important, the carrier has not encountered a single fatal accident since its inception. However, the carrier has faced many fewer accidents. The following is a brief explanation of some of these major events.

• June 6, 2011, Embraer E195: Azul Airlines Embraer E195, flying from Sao Paulo-Campinas Viracopos International Airport to Porto Alegre’s Salgado Filho International Airport, faced an engine failure. Although the crew members reported an emergency and the aircraft landed safely without causing any injuries.

• November 22, 2023, ATR 72-600: Azul Airlines ATR 72-600 met a tailstrike as it performed a risky landing at the Recife-Guararapes International Airport. Though the situation was handled proactively, all the members on board were perfectly fine.

• August 23, 2024, Embraer E-195: An Embraer E-195 flying from São Paulo, Brazil, was faced with a prominent bird strike on its engine shortly after takeoff. The safe landing was executed by the skilled staff members and led to only minor injuries to the customers.

Hence, it can be said that Azul Airlines has secured an excellent safety rating for a long time. The above-highlighted accidents showcase little or no damage caused to the crew or passengers. Apart from this, the wise response of the crew and pilots to emergencies is quite commendable.

Azul Airlines’ Advanced Fleet Collection

Above all, the extensive collection of aircraft incorporated by Azul Airlines, accompanied by regular maintenance, makes it stand out among the rest. Around 70% of the carrier’s fleet comprises fuel-efficient planes equipped with modern avionics and advanced entertainment systems.

Furthermore, these aircraft are fitted with a diverse range of safety features as mentioned below:

Also, Azul Airlines is known for posting culturally oriented safety compliance videos to spread awareness among the passengers. For more clarity, this list of aircraft owned by Azul Airlines is presented here:

Regulatory Oversight and Maintenance

Most importantly, the concrete evidence that clears the safety-related doubts erupting in the passengers’ minds. Azul Airlines complies with the rules and regulations put forward by several national as well as international organisations.

• International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO)
• International Air Transport Association (IATA)
• U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
• Brazilian National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC)  

Moreover, Azul Airlines is renowned for participating in the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) and has been completing it successfully. This makes the Brazilian carrier’s safety commitment quite transparent to the travelers.

In addition, Azul Airlines has been investing substantial energy and resources in regularly maintaining its fleet. Subsequently, the carrier has built the biggest MRO (Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul) complex in Latin America. Likewise, heavy maintenance and frequent repair activities are performed by the airline.

Azul Airlines v/s other Brazilian Airlines

To illustrate, in this section, a detailed comparison is shown between the safety components of Azul Airlines and other Brazilian carriers. The three prominent airlines of Brazil, apart from Azul, are Gol and LATAM. Although all three carriers follow stringent safety regulations extended by national and international organisations. Their safety ratings and passenger experience say it all.

For instance, according to AirlineRatings, LATAM has been regarded as a 4-Star COVID-19 airline and received a 4/7 safety rating. The carrier has also encountered major accidents in the recent past, which have caused casualties.

On the other hand, GOL has achieved better safety milestones in comparison to LATAM. Nevertheless, it has gained 6/7 ratings from AirlineRatings; the Brazilian airline has one of the deadliest fatality records. As in a devastating flight crash of 2006, Gol’s 154 passengers lost their lives.

Therefore, this analysis emphasises that Azul Airlines’ safety ratings are also the highest among the three. Along with that, the zero fatality record makes it one of the safest airlines in Latin America.

Customer Reviews and Industry Ratings

Besides the analysis shown above, these are some of the authentic passenger reviews showcasing the customer’s experience with Azul Airlines. This also shows the company’s efforts towards travelers’ comfort and security.

• Safety: A user on TripAdvisor wrote, “During the pandemic, we flew with Azul, Gol, Latam, and Copa. Azul Airlines was the only one that was really minding the biosecurity measures.” This reflects the carrier’s focus on health and safety as well.

• Reliability: Azul Airlines has been bashed by the passengers several times for presenting an unreliable attitude. A user on TripAdvisor wrote, “In the last week, less than three weeks before the first flight, the flight times have changed 3 times, and each of them is an hour difference.” Similarly, the accolades and recognitions achieved by the airline are also explicitly mentioned.

• AirlineRatings: As mentioned before, Azul Airlines has scored 7/7 safety ratings from AirlineRatings.

• Skytrax World Airline Awards: At the 2025 award function, Azul was awarded the ‘Best Airline in Latin America’ award by SkyTrax.

• AirAdvisor: The AirAdvisor ranked the airline under the ‘Top 10 Safest Airlines in the U.S.’ in 2023 and 2024.

Summing Up…

To conclude, it can be stated that Azul Airlines is widely acknowledged as one of the safest airlines to fly with. The high ratings, positive customer reviews, pilot training, fleet maintenance, and industrial awards are testimony to this.

The airline has been aligning with the safety-oriented rules and regulations framed by reputable organization all around the world. This blog is a detailed analysis of how safe Azul Brazilian Airlines is based on the concrete proofs mentioned above. All the factors involved in Azul Airlines’ safety success are explicitly explained.

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