Want to add some more Chile or Latin American spice to your life? LATAM Airlines has announced it will re-commence non-stop flights between Melbourne and Santiago, Chile in September.
The service will see Melbourne-Santiago become just the second direct route between the Australian and South American continents, in addition to Qantas’ non-stop Sydney-Santiago service.
The only Latin American airline to fly to Australia, LATAM will utilise its Boeing 787-9 aircraft on the route. It will connect the two cities in under 13 hours with three weekly services.
The first LATAM Airlines Melbourne flight will depart Santiago on 1 September 2023, arriving in Melbourne on 2 September and departing Tullamarine the same day.
Flight LA804 will take off from MEL on Thursday, Thursday and Saturday at 1225 and arrive in SCL at 1120. Flight LA805 will then leave SCL on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 0055 and touch down in MEL at 0530 (+1).
LATAM paused Aussie services in April 2020 but recommenced Sydney-Santiago flights (via Auckland) in March 2022.
“Huge demand” for Latin America
LATAM Airlines Country Manager Oceania Chris Ellis said the carrier was “extremely excited to work with the Victorian Government and Melbourne Airport to resume LATAM’s direct flights to South America”.
“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,” he remarked.
“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.”
Ellis also lauded the Santiago-based carrier’s pioneering spirit, calling the airline “one of the world leaders with our sustainability initiatives, including eliminating single-use plastics by the end of 2023 and being a zero-waste-to-landfill airline by 2027”.
Win-Win for tourism
Meanwhile, Melbourne Airport Chief Executive Officer Lorie Argus said, “the resumption of LATAM’s Melbourne – Santiago service once again provides Victoria with a direct connection into South America and we’re very excited to have them back”.
“We know this growing market is important for local exporters but also for an increasing number of Victorians wanting to visit friends and family, and LATAM’s extensive network means millions more people now have one-stop access to our great state,” Argus stated.
Victorian Minister for Industry and Innovation Ben Carroll also said the return of LATAM Airlines would “help power our economy by boosting exports, creating jobs and welcoming more tourists and students from Latin America”.
For more information, visit latam.com. You can also visit the airline’s trade site here.
Last year, LATAM opened the largest international airport lounge in South America.
