Sao Jose dos Campos — David Neeleman, founder of JetBlue Airways and Azul Linhas Aéreas, said Thursday he wants to get a jump on his next venture — codenamed Moxy — by setting up a U.S. carrier with airplanes retired from the Brazilian airline.
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Starting next year, Neeleman wants a separate Air Operator Certificate for a U.S. airline, united under the start-up’s corporate umbrella. As Azul takes deliveries of Embraer E195-E2s — the first here Thursday — the airline expects to rotate the older first generation E-Jets out of the fleet. Under Neeleman’s notional plan, about 30 aircraft would shift to the U.S. for a combination of scheduled and charter operations.
Moxy is expected to receive its first A220-300s from Airbus starting in 2021.
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