LATAM currently operates 212 international flights from its base in São Paulo Guarulhos, and the South African city will join the list of 20 international destinations the airline covers.
The airline stopped its commercial operations in South Africa following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Before the pandemic outbreak, LATAM was the only airline operating direct flights from South America to South Africa, which is about to resume.
LATAM Brazil’s Director of Sales and Marketing, Aline Mafra, told the press
“Johannesburg is another milestone in our international resumption movement, which is being carried out in a strategic way, expanding the offer where there is passenger demand. This flight will meet a corporate demand that has always been relevant between the countries, in addition to the potential tourism at the destination. A direct operation between the countries will undoubtedly be a differentiated product in the airline market.”
LATAM International Recovery
Johannesburg, South Africa, is not the only international destination the airline is recovering. LATAM will resume its direct flights to Boston in October 2022, bringing its international flight destinations to 21.
In the face of Covid-19 travel restrictions, the Latin American airline filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy after losing major cities it once covered across the globe.
Measuring the number of seats available as of September 2022, LATAM had recovered about 72% of its operational capacity in the international market.
Covering 20 (21 by the end of October) international destinations from the 26 they did before the COVID-19 pandemic is quite a wholesome recovery.
