Month: October 2018

• LATAM will offer approximately 72,000 seats per year on this route, increasing capacity between Ecuador and Chile by more than 62%.
• The route will be served by an Airbus 320neo, an aircraft that incorporates new-generation technology for a more efficient, sustainable flight and improved environmental performance.

Today, LATAM Airlines announced that it will boost connectivity between Chile and Ecuador with a new direct route connecting Santiago and Quito. The flight will be served by one of the most modern and efficient aircraft in the global aviation industry, the Airbus 320neo with a capacity for 174 passengers.

Flights will begin on April 1, 2019 with four weekly services on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Flight LA548 will depart from Arturo Merino Benítez Airport in Santiago de Chile at 06:00, arriving in Quito at 09:00. The return flight LA549 will depart at 09:55 from Mariscal Sucre International Airport and will arrive in Santiago at 16:55.

“Through connectivity, the aviation industry is a major driver of economic and social development in our region. As a genuinely Latin American airline, we have a strong commitment to our passengers to offer them the best network of connections in the region. This is precisely what we are achieving with the direct route between Quito and Santiago, as well as reducing the flight time between these two cities and opening up new possibilities for tourism and trade” commented Daniel Leng, CEO of LATAM Airlines Ecuador.

To celebrate this announcement and the forthcoming start of operations, LATAM Airlines Ecuador and Corporación Quiport, concessionaire of the Mariscal Sucre Airport, organized an event which brought together the main aviation authorities of Ecuador.

Andrew O’Brian, President and CEO of Corporación Quiport, congratulated LATAM Airlines on this new flight and added: “the new direct flight between Santiago and Quito, operated by LATAM, is a demonstration of the airline’s trust in the city as a destination and in the airport. It will undoubtedly increase the connectivity of the Ecuadorian capital with more cities in Latin America and will help to promote tourism and business between both cities which historically have had close ties”.

This will be the second direct flight operated by LATAM Airlines between Chile and Ecuador. The company currently has daily services between Guayaquil and Santiago; with the new offering, LATAM will increase its capacity by 62%, equivalent to 72,500 additional seats per year.

About Airbus A320neo

LATAM Airlines Group was the first operator in the Americas to add the Airbus A320neo to its fleet. LATAM received the first aircraft in 2016 and currently has four, one of which will serve the new direct Santiago – Quito – Santiago route.

Daniel Leng, CEO of LATAM Airlines Ecuador, emphasizes that the company will become the first airline in Ecuador to operate a regular service using this type of aircraft.

“The Airbus 320neo is distinguished by its excellent environmental performance. The aircraft has new-generation engines and Sharklet wingtip devices, which together allow us to guarantee a more efficient flight, reducing noise by up to 50% and saving 5,000 tons of CO2 emissions per year” Daniel adds.

• Corporación Quiport, the Ministry of Culture of Brazil and the CCR Institute were pleased to present the Brazilian pianist Simone Leitão in Quito as part of her international tour.

On Friday, October 19th, the Ministry of Culture of Brazil, the CCR Institute and Corporación Quiport were pleased to present the Brazilian pianist Simone Leitão at Casa de la Música as part of her international tour. The repertoire included works by Bach-Busoni, Rachmaninoff and brazilian Villa-Lobos and Mehmari in a free concert.

More than 500 people enjoyed Leitão’s virtuoso performance and her interpretation of works such as Bach’s Chaconne in D minor, Grande Baião de Concerto by Mehmari, Ciclo Brasileiro by Villa-Lobos and Piano Sonata No. 2 in B-flat minor by Rachmaninoff.

As well as Quito, Ecuador, concerts will be held internationally in locations including Curaçao; Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York in the USA; Salvador, Brazil; and San José, Costa Rica.

The director of CCR Institute, Marina Mattaraia, reinforced the importance of promoting this kind of activity: “the support given to the International Tour will have a special meaning for the CCR Institute. In addition to supporting a Brazilian artist, the initiative will provide access to the culture of classical music abroad, where there are also companies of the CCR Group”.

Andrew O’Brian, President and CEO of Corporación Quiport (a company belonging to CCR Group), explained the reasons for sponsoring this event. “We are pleased to have the opportunity to promote high-quality cultural activities in Quito. We have been greatly looking forward to hearing Simone Leitão interpret exceptional pieces of universal classical music. We are proud that Quito has been included as one of the cities on the International Tour.”

The Ambassador of Brazil in Ecuador, Carlos Alfredo Lazary Teixeira stated that “it is a huge pleasure to be involved in Simone Leitão’s first performance in the country, locally supporting an event organized by the Ministry of Culture of Brazil and other institutions, in particular CCR Institute and Quiport. We are very pleased that Simone Leitão’s, as a renowned pianist, has included Quito in her tour and that once again a Brazilian artist has taken the stage at Casa de la Música.”

The pianist was born in Caratinga, Minas Gerais, and achieved international renown through performances in Brazil, Europe, Asia and America. She holds a DMA (Doctor of Musical Arts) in piano performance and musicology from the University of Miami, and a Master of Music in Piano Performance from the Norwegian Academy of Music. Simone is a curious and versatile artist who believes in the power of concert music as a universal language and a strong bridge of communication between diverse peoples and cultures.