Azul Pilots Are Jumping To LATAM. Here’s What’s Really Going On

In Brazil’s crowded skies, pilots are voting with their feet. In September, roughly 40 Azul pilots resigned—about four times the usual monthly trickle—and most went straight to LATAM. One month doesn’t make a trend, but this spike is a clear signal.

The immediate draw is pay. LATAM has long offered higher starting salaries—around 30 percent more than Azul on average. Opportunity is the second magnet.

LATAM ran two big hiring rounds this year and is preparing for a major regional push after announcing an order of up to 74 Embraer E195-E2 jets, with deliveries slated to begin in the second half of 2026.

The story behind the story is about timing and training. Azul is in a U.S. Chapter 11 process—a court-supervised restructuring designed to keep flights operating while the balance sheet is repaired. Restructurings typically slow promotions and tighten costs.

Azul Pilots Are Jumping To LATAM. Here’s What’s Really Going On

Before this, Azul’s rapid expansion let copilots become captains in about five years; now, advancement is slower, overtime is more common, rosters change more, and some perks have gone.

Azul says it follows all rules, continues to invest in training and retention, and employs about 2,100 pilots.

On the training side, both airlines fly Airbus A320-family jets, making moves between the companies relatively simple.

The Embraer bet matters too: Azul is currently the only Brazilian carrier flying Embraer jets at scale, so many Azul pilots already have the right experience for LATAM’s incoming fleet—saving LATAM time and money on type training.

Why this matters outside Brazil: pilot labor is tight worldwide. When one airline is restructuring and another is expanding, pay and career prospects quickly reshape the market.

For travelers, shifts in cockpit staffing can affect on-time performance and the resilience of schedules.

For Brazil’s network, LATAM’s growth could add frequencies and new regional links from 2026, while Azul’s capacity expansion may stay measured until its restructuring is complete.

The next few months will show whether September was a blip—or the start of a longer realignment of where Brazil’s pilots choose to fly.