LATAM Expands America, Europe Network
LATAM Airlines Group is continuing its global push, announcing last week that it will debut three new international routes in 2018 as it aims to improve connectivity between South America, the U.S. and Europe.
The new nonstop service will connect Sao Paulo, Brazil—the country's most populous and wealthiest city—with Boston, Rome and Lisbon, Portugal.
Sao Paulo-Rome service will begin March 16, with three weekly 12-hour flights across the Atlantic Ocean. Rome-bound flights will take off Wednesday, Friday and Sunday while return flights to Sao Paulo will operate Monday, Thursday and Saturday on a 221-seat Boeing 767 aircraft.
LATAM plans to increase to five daily flights to Rome beginning in July 2018.
The group is also eyeing flights from Sao Paulo to Boston Logan International Airport by mid-2018. However, it did not provide specific details regarding upcoming service between Sao Paulo and Lisbon.
"The start of the direct route to Sao Paulo not only continues to demonstrate our commitment to strengthening the network between the U.S. and South America, but reinforces our position as the leading carrier within the region. said LATAM’s senior vice president of North America, the Caribbean and Asia, Pablo Chiozza said in a statement.
In his own statement, Massachusetts Port Authority CEO, Thomas P. Glynn said the new service will connect Boston and the rest of New England with one of the world's largest economies, which has been part of the authority's mission for quite some time.
"These routes will also create new opportunities for bilateral tourism and trade both in Brazil and other parts of the region," said Enrique Cueto, CEO of LATAM Airlines Group, via The Financial.
The new flights remain subject to regulatory approval and LATAM expects to reveal additional details in the months ahead.
LATAM and its affiliates currently offer service to five major U.S. cities—Boston would join Miami, Orlando, New York, Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles—and half of a dozen destinations across Europe, including Madrid, Barcelona, Paris, London, Frankfurt and Milan.
Source: Travel Pulse
