“There are many Brazilians who want to go to Porto, for the harvests, or to get to know Portugal better, and there are many Europeans who are using Porto as a gateway to Brazil too,” Azul CEO John Rodgerson told Lusa.

Thus, the airline will start offering two weekly connections to the capital of Pernambuco, starting in June, on the occasion of the Festas Juninas, in Brazil, and São João, in Porto, believing that this route “will connect the two countries much more and strengthen tourism” in each one.

This new connection is part of Azul's international expansion process and connects the company's main hub (flight distribution platform) in northeastern Brazil to the second-largest Portuguese city.

Asked about growth plans in Portugal, John Rodgerson said the airline is “looking at a lot of opportunities” in the country, but Lisbon airport is full and there is already a connection to Recife, operated by TAP.

“We believe that the new airport [in Lisbon] will open up more opportunities to further connect our countries, but this is for the future, it will take years to build the new airport and the demand exists today,” said the executive.

In a statement, the Director of Tourism of Portugal in Brazil, Bernardo Cardoso, pointed out that this direct connection facilitates the flow of tourists and highlighted that “Porto maintains strategic connections with Madeira and the Azores, allowing travellers to discover even more of what Portugal has to offer”.