LATAM Airlines facts for kids
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| Founded | March 5, 1929 (as Línea Aeropostal Santiago-Arica) |
|---|---|
| Commenced operations |
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| AOC # | LANF474J |
| Hubs |
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| Secondary hubs |
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| Focus cities |
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| Frequent-flyer program | LATAM Pass |
| Fleet size | 163 |
| Destinations | 152 |
| Parent company | LATAM Airlines Group |
| Headquarters | Las Condes, Santiago, Chile |
| Key people | Roberto Alvo (CEO) |
| Revenue |  US$5.7 billion (2011) |
| Net income |  US$320.2 million (2011) |
LATAM Airlines Chile, once known as LAN Chile and LAN Airlines, is a big airline from Chile. It is based in Santiago and was one of the first companies to form the LATAM Airlines Group. This group is the largest airline company in Latin America.
LATAM Airlines Chile has its main travel centers, called hubs, in Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport in Santiago, Guarulhos International Airport in São Paulo, and Jorge Chávez International Airport in Lima. It also has other important hubs in Bogotá, Quito, Guayaquil, and Asunción.
LAN used to be Chile's main airline until the 1990s. It is now the most important airline in Chile, Ecuador, and Peru. It is also the biggest airline in Brazil and the second biggest in Colombia. LATAM is the largest airline in Latin America. It flies to many places in Latin America, North America, the Caribbean, Oceania, Asia, and Europe. The airline was part of the Oneworld airline group from 2000 to 2020.
The LATAM Airlines Group was created when LAN took over the Brazilian airline TAM Linhas Aéreas on June 22, 2012. In August 2015, both airlines announced they would change their name to LATAM. They also decided to use the same paint design on all their planes by 2018. Today, LATAM Chile and LATAM Brasil still work as separate companies. However, the LATAM Airlines Group is their main company. It is the largest airline group in Latin America.
Contents
History of LATAM Airlines
How the Airline Started
A Chilean Air Force officer named Arturo Merino Benítez started the airline. The main airport in Santiago is named after him. The airline began flying on March 5, 1929. It was first called Línea Aeropostal Santiago-Arica, which means Postal Air Line Santiago-Arica.
In 1932, its name changed to Línea Aérea Nacional de Chile, or National Air Line of Chile. People often called it LAN Chile. The first planes LAN Chile used were de Havilland Moth planes.
Merino Benítez wanted Chilean airlines to be the only ones flying inside Chile. This was different from most other Latin American countries. They often let US airlines like Panagra fly domestic routes. Because of this, it was harder for LAN to get US-made planes until World War II began.
In 1936, LAN bought two French Potez 560 planes. In 1938, they added four German Junkers Ju 86Bs to their fleet. During that same year, LAN worked with Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano and the Peruvian airline Faucett. They also made a deal with Lufthansa for flights to Europe and America's Atlantic coast.
In 1940, it became hard to get parts for the Junkers planes because of World War II. So, LAN Chile replaced them with Lockheed Model 10A Electras. In 1941, they added more Lockheed Lodestar C-60 planes. By 1945, they also had Douglas DC-3 planes.
Growing International Flights
On August 23, 1945, LAN Chile joined IATA, a new international airline group. In October 1946, it started flying to other countries, with its first international flight to Buenos Aires. In 1947, it began flying to Punta Arenas, Chile's farthest city.
In December 1954, LAN Chile made its first commercial flight to Lima, Perú. On December 22, 1956, a LAN Chile Douglas DC-6B made the world's first commercial flight over Antarctica. After this, all of LAN's DC-6 planes had "The first over Antarctica" painted on them. In 1958, they used the same type of plane for their first flights to Miami International Airport.
LAN Chile started using jet planes in 1963. They bought three French Sud Aviation Caravelle VI-R jets. These planes first flew to Miami, Guayaquil, Lima, Panama City, and within Chile to Punta Arenas, Puerto Montt, and Antofagasta.
In 1966, LAN Chile bought its first Boeing 707 from Lufthansa. This allowed the company to start new long-distance flights to the US, Oceania, and Europe. On April 15, 1967, LAN-Chile began flying to John F. Kennedy International Airport. On April 8, they started flights to Easter Island. In October 1967, a LAN Chile Sud Aviation Caravelle made the first ILS landing in South America at Lima's Jorge Chávez International Airport.
On January 16, 1968, the Santiago-Easter Island flight was extended to Papeete-Faa'a International Airport in Tahiti, French Polynesia. They used a Douglas DC-6B for this. In April 1970, the airline started using Boeing 707 jets for the Santiago – Easter Island – Papeete, Tahiti route. On September 4, 1974, this route was extended to Fiji.
In 1969, LAN Chile added new places to fly to, like Rio de Janeiro, Asunción, and Cali. They used new Boeing 727s for these flights. In 1970, with Boeing 707s, LAN Chile started its first flights across the Atlantic Ocean to Madrid–Barajas Airport, Frankfurt Airport, and Paris-Orly.
Until 1970, the airline's main office and repair center were at Los Cerrillos Airport in Santiago. But Santiago was growing, and they needed a more modern airport for jet planes. So, Santiago International Airport was built between 1961 and 1967. By 1970, all of LAN Chile's flights moved to this new airport.
On February 10, 1974, a LAN-Chile Boeing 707 made the world's first non-stop flight over the North Pole. It flew from Punta Arenas Airport in South America to Sydney Kingsford-Smith Airport in Australia.
In 1980, the company replaced its Boeing 727s with Boeing 737-200 planes for flights within Chile. They also added McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30s, which were LAN Chile's first large, wide-body jets. These were used for flights to Los Angeles, Miami, and New York. In the same year, the plane repair facilities moved from Los Cerrillos to Arturo Merino Benítez Airport.
In 1985, LAN-Chile started special "Air Cruises" flights around the world. These were the first of their kind in Latin America. A Boeing 707 named Three Oceans flew twice a year, crossing the Atlantic, Indian, and South Pacific oceans. It visited 18 different places. The plane had 80 first-class seats for comfort. Eighty tourists went on a 31-day trip to major cities in Africa, Asia, and Oceania. These special flights continued until 1989.
In June 1986, Boeing 767-200ERs replaced the DC-10 planes. A new route to Montréal–Mirabel International Airport was also added.
In 1988, LAN Chile began building its maintenance center at Santiago Airport. During the summer, they leased a Boeing 747-100 from Aer Lingus for their flights to the US.
Becoming a Global Airline
In September 1989, the Chilean government sold most of the airline to private companies. Icarosan and Scandinavian Airlines bought a large part of it. Later, Scandinavian Airlines sold its shares to investors in Chile. Since 1994, the Cueto Family and businessman Sebastián Piñera were the main owners. Piñera sold his shares in 2010 when he became President of Chile.
On August 11, 1995, LAN bought Chile's second-largest airline, Ladeco. In October 1998, LAN-Chile combined its cargo company, Fast Air Carrier, with Ladeco to form LAN Express.
In 1998, LAN started a joint company with Lufthansa called LLTT. This company trained people for aircraft maintenance in Latin America. LLTT was the only place in Latin America that offered A320 Maintenance Simulator training.
In 2000, LAN Cargo opened a big operations base at Miami International Airport. It is now one of their largest cargo centers.
In 2002, LAN Chile started expanding internationally by creating LAN Perú and LAN Ecuador.
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In March 2004, LAN-Chile and its smaller airlines, LAN Perú, LAN Ecuador, LAN Dominicana, and LAN Express, all started using the single LAN brand and logo. This meant they no longer used each country's name in their brand. On June 17, 2004, LAN-Chile officially changed its name to LAN Airlines. This was part of becoming a more international company.
In March 2005, LAN opened its company LAN Argentina in Argentina. It flies within Argentina and to other countries from Buenos Aires.
On October 28, 2010, LAN bought 98% of AIRES, the second-largest airline in Colombia. On December 3, 2011, AIRES began flying as LAN Colombia with the LAN logo.
Since May 5, 2016, LAN has been known as LATAM Airlines. The airline opened many new routes in 2017. One of these was their longest flight ever: from Santiago to Melbourne, Australia. This flight started on October 5, 2017.
LATAM Airlines Group Today
On August 13, 2010, LAN Airlines and the Brazilian airline TAM Linhas Aéreas agreed to join together. This led to the creation of the LATAM Airlines Group. The merger was completed on June 22, 2012. The governments approved the merger with some conditions. For example, the airlines had to give up some flight times at São Paulo-Guarulhos Airport. They also had to choose between being part of the Star Alliance or Oneworld airline groups.
In 2018, the airline had some issues with the engines on its Boeing 787 Dreamliner planes. This caused some planes to be temporarily stopped from flying. In April 2018, its local airline LATAM Express had a large worker strike. This caused some financial problems for the airline. However, they started to recover later that year. They also began receiving new 787 planes again in November 2019.
Where LATAM Airlines is Based
The airline's main office is on the 20th floor of the 5711 Avenida Presidente Riesco Building in Las Condes, Santiago Province. Before this, its headquarters were in downtown Santiago de Chile.
Other LATAM Companies
Current Companies
- LATAM Airlines Brasil
- LATAM Airlines Colombia
- LATAM Airlines Ecuador
- LATAM Airlines Paraguay
- LATAM Airlines Perú
- LATAM Cargo Brasil
- LATAM Cargo Chile
- LATAM Cargo Colombia
- LATAM Express
Past Companies
- AerOasis
- Fast Air Carrier
- Ladeco
- LAN Dominicana
- LATAM Airlines Argentina - This company stopped flying in 2020.
- Lufthansa LAN Technical Training - A company created with Lufthansa.
- Mas Air (39.5%) - LATAM sold its part in 2018.
Places LATAM Flies To
LATAM flies to 30 international cities in 16 countries. It also flies to 17 cities within Chile.
On October 5, 2017, LATAM started a direct flight between Santiago and Melbourne, Australia. This flight takes about 15 hours when flying west. It covers about 11,300 kilometers (6,100 nautical miles). This is currently the southernmost direct commercial flight in the world. The flight path goes south of the Antarctic Circle, about 800 kilometers from Antarctica.
In November 2017, the company announced a new direct flight route to Asia. This flight departs from Santiago, Chile, stops in São Paulo, Brazil, and then flies directly to Tel Aviv, Israel. These flights operated three times a week from December 2018 until 2020, using the company's Boeing 787 planes. This was the second flight route from South America to Asia operated by a South American airline.
LATAM shares flights with these airlines:
- Aerolíneas Argentinas
- Aeroméxico
- Air China
- Airlink
- Alaska Airlines
- British Airways
- Cathay Pacific
- Delta Air Lines
- China Eastern Airlines
- Finnair
- Iberia
- Japan Airlines
- Jetstar
- Korean Air
- Qantas
- Qatar Airways
- WestJet
LATAM's Fleet of Planes
Current Planes
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| Aircraft | In service |
Orders | Passengers | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J | W | Y | Total | ||||
| Airbus A319-100 | 15 | — | – | – | 144 | 144 | |
| Airbus A320-200 | 78 | — | – | – | 168 | 168 | |
| 174 | 174 | ||||||
| 180 | 180 | ||||||
| Airbus A320neo | 7 | — | – | – | 174 | 174 | |
| Airbus A321-200 | 18 | — | – | – | 220 | 220 | |
| 224 | 224 | ||||||
| Airbus A321XLR | — | 5 | TBA | Deliveries from 2026. | |||
| Boeing 767-300ER | 9 | — | 20 | – | 211 | 231 | |
| 213 | 234 | ||||||
| 218 | 238 | ||||||
| Boeing 787-8 | 10 | — | 30 | – | 217 | 247 | |
| Boeing 787-9 | 27 | 22 | 30 | 57 | 216 | 303 | Additional order 10 with 5 options. |
| – | 283 | 313 | |||||
| Total | 164 | 27 | |||||
How the Fleet Changed Over Time
LAN was the first airline to use the Pratt & Whitney PW6000 engine on the Airbus A318. Its Airbus A319s and A320s use IAE V2500s or CFM56 engines. LATAM updated its Boeing 767s with new features. These include flatbed seats in Premium Business class, which recline completely. They also added new touchscreen TVs with movies and shows.
In May 2008, LAN Chile stopped using its last 737 plane. Airbus A320s replaced them. Besides its A320 family planes and Boeing 767s, LATAM bought the Boeing 787 for long flights. These flights go to places like Auckland, Sydney, and some cities in Europe. The Boeing 787s replaced the Airbus A340-300s, which left the fleet in April 2015. In 2011, LAN Chile ordered 10 A318s but sold them to Avianca Brasil. Instead, they bought 128 more jets from the A320 family and one more A340-300. That year, the airline ordered more Airbus A320 and new Airbus A321 planes. LATAM Chile was the first airline in the Americas to use Sharklets on its A320 planes.
In 2012, LAN Chile became the first airline in the Americas to use the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. On November 23, 2014, the airline received its first Airbus A321. This plane has been a main plane for domestic flights since then. On April 17, 2015, the airline officially stopped using the Airbus A340-300 planes. The last one was CC-CQA. In December 2017, the airline received its first Airbus A320neo. However, these planes were stopped from flying a few months later due to an issue with their engines. LATAM faced many problems in 2018 because both the A320neo and Boeing 787 planes were grounded. They started to recover from these issues later that year.
In 2021, LATAM bought four Boeing 787-9 planes that used to fly for Norwegian Air Shuttle. These planes started flying for LATAM in late 2022.
Planes No Longer Used
LATAM has used these planes in the past:
| Aircraft | Total | Introduced | Retired | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A318-100 | 15 | 2007 | 2013 | Used on flights within Chile. All planes were sold to Avianca Brasil. |
| Airbus A330-200 | 2 | 2019 | 2019 | Leased for a short time from Wamos Air. |
| Airbus A340-300 | 5 | 2000 | 2015 | |
| BAe 146–200 | 3 | 1990 | 1997 | |
| Boeing 707-320 | 11 | 1967 | 1994 | Flew the first regular international flight to Frankfurt. |
| Boeing 727-100 | 5 | 1968 | 1979 | |
| Boeing 737-200 | 33 | 1980 | 2008 | |
| Boeing 747-100 | 1 | 1989 | 1990 | Leased from Aer Lingus. |
| Boeing 747-400 | 1 | 2018 | 2018 | Leased for a short time from Wamos Air. |
| Boeing 757-200 | 1 | 1996 | 1997 | |
| Boeing 767-200ER | 6 | 1986 | 1997 | |
| Boeing 777-200ER | 2 | 2018 | 2019 | Leased from Boeing Capital. |
| Consolidated PBY Catalina | 1 | Unknown | Unknown | |
| Convair 340 | 4 | 1961 | 1965 | |
| Curtiss T-32 Condor II | 3 | 1935 | 1942 | |
| de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter | 6 | 1974 | 1974 | Bought but never used for flights. Given to the Chilean Air Force. |
| de Havilland DH.60 Moth | 2 | 1929 | Unknown | |
| de Havilland DH.104 Dove | 12 | 1949 | 1955 | |
| Douglas C-47 Skytrain | 18 | 1946 | 1979 | |
| Douglas DC-6B | 10 | 1955 | 1973 | Flew the first long flight to Miami. |
| Fairchild FC-2 | 7 | 1932 | 1939 | |
| Ford 5-AT-DS Trimotor | 3 | 1930 | 1938 | |
| Hawker Siddeley HS 748 | 9 | 1967 | 1978 | |
| Junkers W.34 | 1 | Unknown | Unknown | |
| Junkers Ju 52 | 1 | 1938 | 1938 | |
| Junkers Ju 86 | 4 | 1938 | 1940 | |
| Lockheed Model 10A Electra | 6 | 1941 | 1955 | |
| Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar | 2 | 1943 | 1944 | |
| Martin 2-0-2 | 4 | 1947 | 1958 | |
| McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 | 5 | 1980 | 1986 | |
| Potez 56 | 11 | 1936 | 1943 | |
| Sud Aviation Caravelle | 3 | 1964 | 1975 | Flew the first long flight to New York City. |
| Sikorsky S-43 | 2 | 1936 | Unknown |
LATAM Pass Program
LATAM Pass is a special program for frequent flyers. It rewards customers who fly often with LATAM. Over four million people are members. Members earn miles every time they fly with LATAM Chile or a partner airline. They can also earn miles by using services from businesses connected to LATAM Pass.
The LATAM Pass program has five levels for members:
- Gold
- Gold Plus
- Platinum
- Black
- Black Signature
On May 5, 2016, LANPass changed its name to LATAM Pass. This happened when LAN Chile fully became LATAM Chile.
LATAM Lounges
LATAM Airlines has special lounges at these airports:
- Mistral Lounge at Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport, in Santiago de Chile
- Neruda Lounge at Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport, in Santiago de Chile
- Ezeiza International Airport, in Buenos Aires, Argentina
- El Dorado International Airport, in Bogotá, Colombia
- Miami International Airport
- São Paulo–Guarulhos International Airport
Passengers flying in Premium Business, Business, and Premium Economy can use these lounges. Also, certain LATAM Pass members (Black or Platinum levels) can enter.
Chilean architects Mathias Klotz and Olivia Putman designed the newly updated LATAM lounges.
Flight Safety and Events
- On April 3, 1961, LAN Chile Flight 621, a Douglas C-47A plane, crashed into a hillside near La Gotera Hill, Chile. This happened during a flight from Temuco to Santiago due to bad weather. All 24 people on board, including members of the Green Cross football club, passed away.
- On February 6, 1965, a Douglas DC-6 on LAN Chile Flight 107 from Santiago to Argentina flew into a mountain. This occurred near the San José Volcano shortly after takeoff. All 87 people on board passed away. This was Chile's most serious plane accident at the time.
- On April 28, 1969, LAN Chile Flight 160 crashed just before the runway at Colina, Chile. All 60 passengers and crew were safe.
- On December 5, 1969, a Douglas C-47A cargo plane crashed after taking off from El Tepual Airport, Puerto Montt. All three people on board survived.
- On May 25, 1972, Lan Chile Flight 154, a Boeing 727-100 plane, made an emergency landing at Sir Donald Sangster International Airport. A small pipe bomb exploded on board. No one was hurt.
- On August 3, 1978, a Boeing 707 was landing at Ministro Pistarini International Airport in thick fog. It hit trees about 2.5 kilometers before the runway. All 63 people on board survived.
- On August 4, 1987, a Boeing 737-200 landed too short of the runway at El Loa Airport. The front landing gear broke, and the plane split in two. A fire started 30 minutes later and destroyed the plane. One person passed away.
- On February 19, 1991, a chartered BAe 146–200, LAN Chile Flight 1069, went off the runway when landing at Puerto Williams. It sank into the water nearby. Out of 73 people on board, 20 passed away.
- On May 18, 2013, an Airbus A340 taking off from Auckland Airport for Sydney lined up incorrectly. The crew took off without realizing they were on the edge lights of the runway. The damage was found during a runway check.
- On October 26, 2022, LATAM Chile Flight 1325, an Airbus A320-214, flew into a hail storm while landing at Silvio Pettirossi International Airport. The plane lost most of its nose, had damage to its windshield, and both engines stopped working. The plane made a safe emergency landing with no injuries.
- On November 18, 2022, LATAM Perú Flight 2213, an Airbus A320-271N operated by LATAM Chile, hit a fire truck during takeoff at Jorge Chávez International Airport. The plane's right landing gear broke, and the right engine came off, causing a fire. Everyone on the plane survived, with 24 people having injuries. However, both firefighters in the truck passed away.
- On August 14, 2023, LATAM Chile Flight 505, a Boeing 787–9 Dreamliner, was flying north of Panama City. The captain became unwell and passed away. The other pilots landed the plane safely in Panama City.
- On March 11, 2024, LATAM Airlines Flight 800, a Boeing 787–9 flying from Sydney to Auckland, New Zealand, had a technical issue. This caused strong movement during the flight. As a result, 50 people on board were injured, and 12 were taken to the hospital.
Images for kids
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DH 60G Gipsy Moths in service with LAN Chile, 1933
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LAN-Chile Douglas DC-3, added to the fleet in 1945
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DC-6 at Los Angeles 1965
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A LAN-Chile Boeing 707-320 at Paris-Orly Airport in 1981
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LAN Chile Boeing 727-100 at Pudahuel Airport Santiago in 1972
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A former LAN-Chile Boeing 767-200ER at Frankfurt Airport in 1994
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LAN's logo (2004–2016)
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A former LAN Airlines Airbus A340-300 landing at Frankfurt Airport in 2010
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The flagship aircraft of LATAM Chile is the Boeing 787–9 Dreamliner, which flies mainly medium to long haul routes, as well as a few domestic routes.
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LATAM lounge in Santiago promoting the LAN-TAM merger
See also
In Spanish: LATAM para niños
