SAO PAULO, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Brazilian airline Azul ( AZUL )

on Monday reported fourth-quarter core earnings

slightly above market expectations and said it was optimistic

about this year, after a challenging 2024 marked by a major debt

restructuring.

The carrier's earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation

and amortization (EBITDA) reached 1.95 billion reais ($340.31

million) in the October-December period, it said, up 33%

year-on-year, helped by higher passenger traffic and load

factor.

Analysts polled by LSEG expected EBITDA to come in at 1.91

billion reais in the quarter.