LATAM AIRLINES ANNOUNCES NEW DIRECT ROUTE BETWEEN
- 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.