Direct Sydney-Santiago flights reinstated

Good news for flyers who hate layovers en route to their final destination.

LATAM Airlines has just announced the re-introduction of direct flights from Sydney to Santiago four times per week, starting from October 28.

This cuts out the tiresome stop in Auckland.

LATAM now offers daily direct flights between Australia and Latin America, departing from both Sydney and Melbourne.

In September last year LATAM re-started Melbourne-Santiago direct flights three times weekly.

The addition of the Sydney-Santiago direct flights completes the schedule.

LATAM originally launched direct flights between Sydney and Santiago in 2019 but paused the services due to the pandemic.

LATAM resumed operations from Sydney to Santiago via Auckland in March 2022 with three weekly services and quickly scaled up to daily flights by December 2022.

The move to reintroduce direct flights will enable up to 1,200 passengers per week to enjoy the convenience of travelling directly from Sydney to Latin America in under 13 hours.

The direct services will have a flight time of 12 hours and 50 minutes.

All LATAM Airlines flights between Australia and Chile are operated on Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft featuring economy, premium economy and premium business cabins

“We’re thrilled to restart our direct flights from Sydney to Santiago to meet the demand of travellers in Australia," said Chris Ellis, LATAM Airlines manager for Oceania.

"This significant milestone for LATAM Airlines brings Latin America closer to Australians, whether they're flying for business, leisure, or cultural exploration.

"From October, passengers can choose from daily direct services between Australia and Chile, including four direct flights from Sydney and three from Melbourne every week, in addition to our flights via Auckland. That’s a wealth of options for our customers.”

From Santiago, LATAM offers connections to over 144 destinations.

For bookings and more information on the direct flights from Sydney to Santiago, please visit LATAM Airlines' website. https://www.latamairlines.com/au

LATAM restarts direct flights between Melbourne and Santiago

South American carrier LATAM Airlines has resumed flights between Santiago in Chile and Melbourne, Australia, following a pause of almost three and a half years due to the Covid pandemic.

As of this week, LATAM will offer three direct flights per week between Melbourne and Santiago, using Boeing 787-9 aircraft, allowing up to 900 passengers a week to travel to South America in under 13 hours.

LATAM resumed services to Australia in March 2022, with Sydney via Auckland to Santiago flights operating three times a week.

Chris Ellis, LATAM country manager for Oceania, said: “With the support of the Victorian Government and Melbourne Airport, we are able to meet the high demand for travel to South America.

"With our return to Melbourne Airport, we now have a total of 10 weekly flights connecting Australia and South America.”

LATAM is the leading airline in South America, serving over 144 destinations.

LATAM is South America’s largest airline and we’re incredibly proud to welcome them back to Melbourne,” said Lorie Argus, chief executive of Melbourne Airport.

For more details see latam.com.

Flying from Australia to South America is about to get a lot easier

LATAM Airlines is to resume flying directly between Melbourne and Santiago, Chile.

From Santiago, passengers can connect to more than 144 destinations in LATAM’s network across the Americas.

LATAM will recommence the Melbourne - Santiago route with three weekly services operated on a Boeing 787-9 aircraft, enabling passengers to fly to Santiago in under 13 hours.

LATAM Airlines Australian operations were paused in April 2020 due to the pandemic, with flights from Sydney via Auckland to Santiago restarting in March 2022.

"We are extremely excited to work with the Victorian Government and Melbourne Airport to resume LATAM’s direct flights to South America," said Chris Ellis, Country Manager for LATAM.

"There has been a huge demand for travel to the region and we are thrilled to be able to meet the needs of travellers, starting with over 900 seats a week on our Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft.

"For the past year, we have been building our capacity in Sydney and it's a pleasure to be taking up residence again in Melbourne Airport as we expand our footprint in Australia.

“LATAM has the largest network in Latin America with connections to 144 destinations, including some of the greatest bucket list destinations in the world."

The first LATAM Airlines Melbourne flight will take off from Santiago on September 1, 2023, arriving in Melbourne on September 2 and taking off on the same day.

To make a booking, visit latam.com or contact travel agents.

At 1500kg Pantaleon is not your average airline passenger

Meet Pantaleón, who is not your average airline passenger.

The four-year-old 1500kg rhino was recently flown from Buiz Zoo, south of Santiago in Chile, to his new home in the city of Pereira, Colombia by LATAM Airlines.

The transport of the endangered animal was part of a collaboration between Modern Zoos for the Conservation of Endangered Species, LATAM Cargo, Bilbao Air Cargo and Buin Zoo.

Months of planning and training went into executing this operation so that the rhino travelled safely on its journey of over 6000km.

Pantaleón is the first white rhinoceros born in Chile and was transferred from Buin Zoo to the Ukumarí Biopark in Colombia to join two females for reproduction and conservation of the species.

“Being part of the birth of Pantaleón and then witnessing him grow is something unique and wonderful, so there is no doubt that his departure is very hard too, but the most important thing is that we are making a real contribution to the conservation of a species that is disappearing," says Ignacio Idalsoaga, director of Buin Zoo.

“LATAM Cargo is proud to participate in this operation that contributes to the preservation of such a unique and wonderful species," says Juan Pablo Marquez, manager of cargo operations for LATAM.

"It takes months of preparation to understand the type of animal, its behaviour and select an expert team to accompany the rhino throughout the shipping. Everything must be very well calculated and coordinated between the different participants so that the animal is transported safely.” 

Pantaleon is a name meaning "lion of all".

LATAM sees flight figures soar

South America is back on the global travel agenda post Covid, figures released by the region's largest airline indicate.

LATAM Airlines projects passenger operation figures of 83% for November compared with the same time period in 2019 (before the pandemic).

The airline maintains its projection to exceed 85% of the consolidated operational recovery by the end of the year.

LATAM will this month hit a major milestone in resuming to fly to the same number of destinations as it did prior to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The carrier plans to operate approximately 1,347 national and international flights this month, connecting 144 destinations across 22 countries.

LATAM Airlines Group South America is the leading airline group in Latin America with international operations within Latin America and to Europe, the United States, the Caribbean, Australia and New Zealand.

See www.latam.com

LATAM resumes Sydney-Santiago flight schedule

 After almost two years of pausing its passenger services from Australia and New Zealand due to the Covid-19 pandemic, LATAM has announced it will resume its passenger operations between Sydney, Auckland and Santiago starting from March 29. 

LATAM will operate a Boeing 787-9 aircraft three times a week and is looking to increase the schedule to five flights weekly from July 1. 

"We are extremely excited to recommence our flights between Australia/New Zealand to South America (Chile) on 29 March," Chris Ellis, country manager- Oceania for LATAM Airlines (someone should maybe tell Chris's bosses that Oceania is not a country). 

"We are ready to give our passengers a warm welcome back on board, reconnect them with their loved ones and showcase all the beauty and wonders that South America has to offer. 

"LATAM operates the largest network in Latin America and we know that many of our passengers have been patiently waiting for flights to resume so they can tick off their bucket list destinations such as the Atacama Desert, Iguazu Falls, Machu Picchu, Patagonia and many more."

Passengers must meet specific entry requirements for entering South American nations and can use this link for more information:

https://www.latamairlines.com/us/en/experience/coronavirus/restrictions.

LATAM Airlines Group S.A. and its affiliates is the main group of airlines in Latin America with a presence in five domestic markets in the region: Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, in addition to international operations inside Latin America and between it and Europe, the United States, and the Caribbean.

The group has a fleet of Boeing 767, 777, 787, Airbus A321, A320, A320neo and A319 aircraft.