With a Pernambuco crew, LATAM opens Recife-Santiago and reaches a historic mark of 9 Brazil-Chile routes

LATAM inaugurated the Recife-Santiago route this Friday (12/6). The inaugural flight featured the traditional ribbon cutting before passengers boarded at Recife Airport (PE). The flight crew was composed solely of Pernambuco natives. The ceremony was attended by Tomé Franca (National Secretary of Civil Aviation), Phillipe Karat (Coordinator of Demand and Multimodal Transport at Embratur), Marcelo Cabral (Advisor to the President of Embratur), Paulo Nery (Secretary of Tourism of Pernambuco), Wilson de Paula (Secretary of State Finance), Eduardo Loyo (President of Empetur), Diogo Beltrão (Director of Communication and Marketing at Empetur), Anne Carvalho (Manager of Promotional Actions at Empetur), Eduardo Macedo (Manager of Public Affairs at LATAM Brazil), Joaquín Rodriguez (General Director of Airports at Aena Brazil) and Diego Moretti (Director of Recife Airport).

LATAM plans to transport up to 14,500 passengers per year on its new operation between Brazil and Chile, which now reaches the historic mark of 9 regular routes: Recife-Santiago, São Paulo-Santiago, Brasilia-Santiago, Rio de Janeiro-Santiago, Belo Horizonte-Santiago, Curitiba-Santiago, Florianópolis-Santiago, Fortaleza-Santiago and Porto Alegre-Santiago (which will reopen in January 2025, after being interrupted by the closure of the local airport).

The Recife-Santiago flight has an average duration of 6h30 and takes off at 12:10 pm (Brazil time) every Friday (subject to change). The Santiago-Recife flight takes off at 5:10 am (Chile time) on the same day. Compared to a trip with a connection at the airports of Guarulhos (São Paulo) or Brasilia (DF), the new route reduces the average travel time between the capital of Pernambuco and Chile by three hours. Tickets for the flight are on sale at latam.com and other channels.

“LATAM is bringing the world closer to Recife. Investing in Pernambuco is investing in Brazilian tourism. In addition to Santiago, passengers departing from the capital of Pernambuco can now easily reach Auckland, Sydney, Melbourne, as well as other destinations in Chile itself, such as Easter Island, Calama, Punta Arenas and Puerto Montt. This makes tourism easier for Brazilians in our neighboring country and on the other side of the world. On the other hand, the new route is also an opportunity to bring the attractions of the Brazilian Northeast closer to international tourists,” comments Eduardo Macedo, Public Affairs Manager of LATAM Brazil.

“Today we are starting a historic partnership between the Government of Pernambuco and LATAM, which begins with this international route, which connects the state with Chile. It is only the beginning of LATAM’s expansion in the Pernambuco air market, which will also see a significant increase in the number of domestic flights,” said Eduardo Loyo, president of Empetur.

“The inauguration of the direct flight between Recife and Santiago marks an important step forward for Recife International Airport and the entire Northeast region. The new route strengthens the ties between Brazil and Chile, boosting both leisure and business tourism by offering a faster and more comfortable travel option. With the expansion and modernization works we have implemented in the terminal, our passengers enjoy a more modern, comfortable and sustainable environment, which provides an even better experience. We are committed to supporting initiatives that expand the international connectivity of our airports, contributing to the economic and social development of Pernambuco, the Northeast and all of Brazil,” said Joaquín Rodríguez, general director of airports at Aena Brasil.

LATAM DOES NOT RECEIVE
Recife Airport also currently has direct LATAM flights to 5 domestic destinations in Brazil: Brasilia, São Paulo/Congonhas, Fortaleza, Rio de Janeiro/Galeão and São Paulo/Guarulhos).

In total, LATAM was responsible for more than 1.2 million passengers transported from January to October this year at the airport in the capital of Pernambuco.

LATAM IN FERNANDO DE NORONHA
LATAM is preparing to start operating in the Fernando de Noronha archipelago en route from Guarulhos Airport. The company will have daily operations on board Airbus A319 aircraft (capacity for 126 passengers in Economy cabin and 12 in Premium Economy cabin) on a 3h50 flight. LATAM is waiting for the completion of the works at the local airport to announce the official start date and schedule of flights.

With the potential to handle 40,000 passengers per year, this will be the first operation for the archipelago from the Guarulhos hub, where LATAM represents 50% of the airport's total operations, including 35% of international flights to/from Brazil.

LATAM IS THE AIRLINE THAT INVESTS THE MOST IN BRAZIL
Currently, LATAM is the airline that adds the most flights and seats to the Brazilian market, operating the largest route network in its history in Brazil, with flights to 54 airports throughout the country. In international operations, it is the company that connects Brazil with the world the most, with its own flights from the country to 90 airports abroad.

In 2024, LATAM has already added more than 1.3 million domestic seats in Brazil and surpassed the 150-aircraft mark in its domestic fleet. In total, the company expects growth of up to 8% in its domestic seat offering in Brazil this year, compared to 2023.

As a result, the company has been the leader in Brazilian aviation since 2021, according to ANAC (National Civil Aviation Agency). In total, the company obtained almost 39% market share (RPK*) in the Brazilian domestic market in the third quarter of 2024.

In international flights, LATAM will close 2024 with the opening of the Brasilia-Santiago, Curitiba-Lima, Fortaleza-Santiago and Recife-Santiago routes. According to ANAC, LATAM led Brazil's international air sector in the third quarter of 2024, with a 23.45% share (RPK*).

*RPK: Acronym for Passenger Kilometers Transported. The index considers the number of passengers per kilometer transported by the company over the volume of passengers per kilometer transported by all airlines operating in Brazil.

Source: Latam Airlines.