LATAM Airlines has completed its first passenger charter flights powered by sustainable aviation fuel, cutting roughly 160 tonnes of CO2 across 13 services between Santiago and Ushuaia operated in partnership with Ponant Explorations.
The flights operated between Santiago, Chile, and Ushuaia, Argentina, the southern port that serves as the main jumping-off point for Antarctic expedition voyages.
A total of 84,800 litres of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) was allocated to the operation under the Book-and-Claim chain-of-custody methodology, marking LATAM’s first emissions-reduction project tied specifically to chartered passenger flights.
LATAM used Neste MY SAF, which the airline said is produced from renewable raw materials and delivers a lifecycle emissions reduction of 74.72 per cent compared with conventional jet fuel.
The reduction was calculated using the methodology set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s (ICAO) Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA), comparing conventional Jet A-1 fuel against the SAF used.
Why this matters for selling Antarctica
Ushuaia is the launchpad for most Antarctic Peninsula sailings and the charter flights funnel expedition guests from Santiago to the ships.
Ponant Explorations’ small expedition ships are increasingly attracting Aussie travellers, including the growing cohort of solo women drawn to expedition cruising, weighing the carbon footprint of long-haul, fly-cruise itineraries.
For advisors, it gives a tangible sustainability talking point on one of the longer, higher-emission trips on the books: the air leg of an expedition cruise is now backed by a verified SAF allocation.
LATAM Airlines General Manager for Europe, Asia & Oceania Thibaud Morand said: “We firmly believe that advancing a more sustainable aviation industry requires the commitment and collaboration of the entire value chain.”
“This operation with Ponant Expeditions demonstrates that concrete mechanisms already exist for our customers to actively contribute to reducing the emissions associated with their air travel operations, while we continue to drive the development and adoption of sustainable aviation fuels across the region,” he said.
Ponant Explorations CSR & Sustainable Development Director Wassim Daoud added: “This collaboration with LATAM marks another important step in our commitment to more sustainable tourism. We are proud to contribute, alongside LATAM, to the development of solutions that can support the decarbonisation of transport while offering our guests exploration experiences that are more respectful of the environment.”
The project forms part of LATAM’s wider strategy to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, built on four pillars: fleet modernisation, operational efficiency, scaling up SAF use and carbon offsetting through regional projects.
The group operates international services to Oceania alongside its five South American domestic markets, including its direct daily route from Melbourne to Santiago, giving Australian travellers a one-stop gateway into the continent and on to Ushuaia.
KARRYON UNPACKS: Antarctica sits at the carbon-heavy end of travel, so a verified SAF allocation on LATAM charter flights allows advisors to answer the sustainability question with more confidence. It is a small batch of flights for now, but it signals where the fly-cruise expedition product is heading.
