LATAM Airlines Group will introduce four new routes in the Americas, to be introduced between December 2015 and January 2016, and is seeking approval for Sao Paulo (Brazil) to Johannesburg (South Africa) services.
The group is planning to start three times a week services from Lima to Antofagasta (Chile), operated by LAN Peru from December 2015. In the same month, LAN Columbia will start four times a week services between Bogota and Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic while TAM will also start flying to Punta Cana from Brasilia four days a week. LAN Peru will also start five times a week Lima – Montevideo from January 2016, and it intends to operate four flights a week to Washington DC in mid 2016. TAM intends to start Sao Paolo – Johannesburg services but is awaiting approval.
LATAM Airlines Group chief executive officer, Enrique Cueto says: “We are extremely pleased with this announcement as it represents an important milestone for the group since we are beginning operations to a fifth destination within the United States, becoming the only operator to offer nonstop service between Lima and Washington DC.”
He continues: “In addition, TAM is awaiting approval from authorities to launch a route from Sao Paulo to Johannesburg in 2016. Currently, there are no other Latin American airlines that connect Latin America to Africa.”
The group will also be adjusting its network in upcoming months, increasing some services and reducing or discontinuing others. LAN Peru will be increasing its services to Miami (US) from 14 a week to 17, in addition to the new service to Antofagasta. In Brazil, TAM will cancel its Belo Horizonte – Miami service from March but up the frequency of its Brasilia – Orlando (US) from three to six times a week. In the second half of 2016, TAM will start using an Airbus A350 eXtraWideBody on its Sao Paulo – Orlando service, which will increase from seven to 11 times a week.
In April, TAM will makes its Miami – Fortaleza service twice weekly and reduce its Miami – Manaus from five times a week to four. TAM will also start flying nonstop from Sao Paulo to Bogota in February 2016, meaning the group will have 11 services a week between the cities. It will also start operating the Sao Paulo – Lima service from January. TAM’s Sao Paolo – Barcelona (Spain) service will also become daily from June.
This November, LAN will start a Santiago – Sao Paulo – Milan (Italy), in addition to three times a week services from Santiago to Madrid.
