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David Neeleman is an airline entrepreneur who co-founded Morris Air and WestJet and founded JetBlue, Azul Brazilian Airlines and Breeze Airways. His career spans airline startups in the United States, Canada and Brazil; the leadership titles attached to each venture differ, and his past executive roles should not be mistaken for current ones.
What airlines did David Neeleman found?
Goldman Sachs and Time for Kids each describe Neeleman as having founded five airlines. The roles were not identical: he co-founded two ventures and founded three. Goldman Sachs’ 2024 profile names JetBlue, Breeze, Morris Air, WestJet and Azul; Time for Kids’ 2024 interview also identifies five.
| Airline | Neeleman’s role | What the cited sources establish |
|---|---|---|
| Morris Air | Co-founder | Azul’s management biography says he co-founded the airline in 1984 with June Morris and that it was sold in 1993. |
| WestJet | Co-founder | Azul’s biography identifies him as a co-founder and board member from 1996 to 1999. |
| JetBlue | Founder | Azul’s biography lists him as CEO from 1998 to 2007 and chair from 2002 to 2008. |
| Azul Brazilian Airlines | Founder | Azul’s biography says he founded it in January 2008 and was CEO until July 2017. |
| Breeze Airways | Founder | Time for Kids says he founded it in 2021; 2025 reporting described him as CEO and founder. |
The dated career details in the table come from Azul’s investor-relations management biography. It is a company biography, and its role dates describe the periods stated rather than confirming who holds a position today.
How did his airline career develop?
Morris Air and WestJet
Neeleman’s airline career began in 1984 with Morris Air, which he co-founded with June Morris. Azul’s biography says the company was sold in 1993. He later co-founded WestJet and served on its board from 1996 through 1999.
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JetBlue
At JetBlue, Neeleman was CEO from 1998 to 2007 and chair from 2002 to 2008, according to Azul’s biography. Those dates show that his chair tenure overlapped his CEO tenure; he was not CEO throughout the entire period he was chair.
In a 2024 interview with Time for Kids, Neeleman described his early interest in low-cost airline operations: “I got really interested in Southwest Airlines and how they could do it for less than everybody else. So I started studying them, and became [interested in] how I could do it better.” He also recalled JetBlue’s use of new aircraft, leather seats and live television to distinguish the airline from low-fare competitors. These are his recollections, not an independent comparison of airline products.
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Azul
Neeleman founded Azul in January 2008 and led it as CEO until July 2017, when John Rodgerson became CEO, according to Azul’s investor-relations biography. This distinction matters: Neeleman’s role as Azul’s founder does not mean he remains its CEO.
Breeze Airways
Breeze launched in 2021. In a 2022 interview with Travel Weekly/PhocusWire, Neeleman described its purpose as connecting secondary markets with nonstop flights and low fares. He said route choices drew on data about travelers connecting through hubs, and characterized the airline’s mission as: “Breeze’s mission is to connect secondary markets with nonstop service and really low prices.” Those statements describe the strategy he outlined in 2022, not a current independent assessment of Breeze’s routes or fares.
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In a 2023 AeroTime interview, Neeleman said he was Azul’s chair and controlling shareholder at that time. Such dated descriptions should be read in their historical context. AeroTime’s interview also discusses Breeze’s focus on smaller and midsize airports, but its route, fleet and passenger figures are interview-era details, not current counts.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Is David Neeleman still CEO of Breeze?
The available dated reporting does not establish whether Neeleman is Breeze’s CEO on October 4, 2026. An Aviation Week report from 2025 calls him Breeze’s CEO, but that does not confirm his status on the date of this article. It is accurate to call him Breeze’s founder; a current CEO title needs confirmation from a current company source.
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What to remember about Neeleman’s five-airline record
- The five-airline count includes Morris Air, WestJet, JetBlue, Azul and Breeze, as identified by Goldman Sachs and Time for Kids.
- He co-founded Morris Air and WestJet; the sources describe him as founder of JetBlue, Azul and Breeze.
- His documented executive tenures include JetBlue CEO through 2007 and Azul CEO through July 2017. Later dated reporting described him as Breeze CEO in 2025, but does not verify that role in October 2026.
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