LATAM Airlines Brasil facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
LATAM Airlines Brasil

Founded	21 February 1961; 64 years ago (1961-02-21) (as TAM – Táxi Aéreo Marília) 11 November 1975; 49 years ago (1975-11-11) (as TAM – Transportes Aéreos Marília S/A)
Commenced operations	12 July 1976; 48 years ago (1976-07-12) (as TAM – Transportes Aéreos Marília S/A) 15 May 2000; 25 years ago (2000-05-15) (as TAM Linhas Aéreas) 5 May 2016; 9 years ago (2016-05-05) (as LATAM Brasil)
AOC #	13,221 (November 24, 2023)
Hubs	Brasília Fortaleza São Paulo–Congonhas São Paulo–Guarulhos
Focus cities	Belo Horizonte Porto Alegre Rio de Janeiro–Galeão
Frequent-flyer program	LATAM Pass
Fleet size	145
Destinations	93
Parent company	LATAM Airlines Group
Headquarters	São Paulo, Brazil
Key people	Jerome Cadier (CEO)
Revenue	US10.7 billion (2017)
Net income	US$109.4 million (2017)

LATAM Airlines Brasil, once known as TAM Linhas Aéreas, is a major airline in Brazil. It is part of the LATAM Airlines Group. The airline flies to many places both inside Brazil and around the world. Its main bases are in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and Brasília.

LATAM Brasil is one of the biggest airlines in Brazil. It carries a lot of passengers on both domestic (within Brazil) and international flights. Before it joined with LAN Airlines, TAM was the largest airline in Brazil and Latin America. Its main office is in São Paulo. The name "TAM" comes from "Transportes Aéreos Marília," which means "Marília Air Transport." This name shows where the company first started in Marília, São Paulo.

A Look at LATAM Brasil's History

LATAM Airlines Brasil has a long and interesting history. It started as a small air taxi company and grew into a huge airline.

How It All Began: TAM – Táxi Aéreo Marília

The airline started on February 21, 1961, as TAM – Táxi Aéreo Marília. This was an air taxi company based in Marília. It laid the groundwork for the bigger airline that would come later.

Growing as a Regional Airline: TAM – Transportes Aéreos Regionais

On November 11, 1975, the Brazilian government created a system for regional air travel. Five new airlines were given permission to fly in different parts of the country. TAM – Transportes Aéreos Regionais S/A was one of these new airlines. It was started by Rolim Amaro.

Flights began on July 12, 1976. The airline served parts of Brazil's Southeast and Central-West regions. This included areas like Mato Grosso do Sul and parts of Mato Grosso and São Paulo. At first, TAM used small Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante planes. These planes were not big enough, so the airline later bought larger Fokker F.27 planes. By 1983, TAM had 10 Fokker F27s. By 1984, TAM had flown 2 million passengers!

Joining Forces: TAM (KK) and TAM (JJ)

TAM's former headquarters, located at Congonhas Airport.

TAM's former logo (1980-2008)

In 1986, TAM – Transportes Aéreos Regionais (KK) bought another regional airline called VOTEC. VOTEC was then renamed Brasil Central Linhas Aéreas. TAM and Brasil Central worked together. They shared their flight networks and planes, even though they had different flight codes and colors. By 1988, TAM had flown 3 million passengers.

In 1990, the government allowed regional airlines to fly anywhere in Brazil. So, Brasil Central changed its name to TAM - Transportes Aéreos Meridionais. It also started using the same colors as TAM (KK). In 2000, the two TAM airlines officially merged. The airline became known as TAM Transportes Aéreos, using the flight code JJ.

Expanding Services and Fleet

A departures board showing a TAM flight at Miami International Airport in August 2010

In 1989, TAM started using Fokker 100 jets. These were bigger and faster planes. By 1993, TAM had 14 Fokker 100s and flew to 56 cities in Brazil. In 1997, TAM ordered its first large jets from Airbus. These included A330s, A319s, and A320s. That same year, TAM started its first international flight from São Paulo to Miami International Airport.

In 1999, TAM began flights to Europe through a partnership with Air France to Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport. In 2000, the airline officially changed its name to TAM Linhas Aéreas. By 2008, TAM carried over 30 million passengers! In 2010, TAM joined the Star Alliance, a big group of airlines.

TAM's last logo (2008-2016) before merging with LAN Airlines

TAM also bought other smaller airlines over the years, like Pantanal Linhas Aéreas in 2009. This helped TAM grow its network even more.

The Birth of LATAM Airlines Group

A former LATAM Brasil Airbus A350-900 approaching Toulouse-Blagnac Airport in 2016

On August 13, 2010, TAM agreed to merge with LAN Airlines, an airline from Chile. This merger created the LATAM Airlines Group. The merger was completed on June 22, 2012.

As of May 5, 2016, TAM officially changed its name to LATAM. All the planes started to get a new look with the LATAM brand. Even though the name changed, the airline still uses "TAM" as its call sign for flights operated by LATAM Brasil.

In 2020, LATAM Brasil had to go through a financial reorganization because of the global health crisis. However, the company continued to operate its flights normally.

LATAM Paraguay

In 1994, TAM started a small airline in Paraguay called Aerolíneas Paraguayas. Later, in 1996, TAM bought most of the shares of the former state-owned airline Líneas Aéreas Paraguayas and combined it with Aerolíneas Paraguayas. The new airline was called TAM – Transportes Aéreos del Mercosur. In 2008, it changed its name to be more like TAM Airlines. In 2016, it was rebranded to LATAM Paraguay, just like the other airlines in the LATAM group.

Where LATAM Brasil Flies

LATAM Brasil and LATAM Paraguay fly to many places. Their network covers Brazil, Paraguay, Africa, Europe, North America, and South America.

Airline Partnerships

LATAM Brasil works with other airlines through "codeshare agreements." This means they can sell tickets on each other's flights. This helps passengers connect to even more destinations around the world. Here are some of the airlines LATAM Brasil partners with:

LATAM Brasil's Aircraft Fleet

LATAM Brasil Airbus A320neo

LATAM Brasil Airbus A321-200 in a former livery.

LATAM Brasil Boeing 777-300ER in a special Star Wars design.

Current Aircraft

As of April 2024, LATAM Brasil uses these types of airplanes:

Past Aircraft Used

LATAM Brasil has used many different types of planes since it started. Some of these include:

New Planes for the Fleet

LATAM Brasil often buys new planes to update its fleet. For example, in 2005, TAM ordered 20 new Airbus A320 family aircraft. They also planned to buy 10 of the newer Airbus A350-900 planes. The airline also signed a contract for 37 more Airbus aircraft, including A319s, A320s, A321s, and A330s. This shows how the airline keeps growing and modernizing its fleet.

LATAM Pass: The Frequent Flyer Program

LATAM Pass is the special program for people who fly with LATAM Brasil often. When you fly, you earn points. You can then use these points to buy more tickets on LATAM flights or with their partner airlines. The program has different levels, like Gold, Platinum, and Black, which give you more benefits and points.

Safety and Operations

Airlines work hard to make sure flights are safe. Over its long history, LATAM Brasil (and formerly TAM) has had some challenging events. These events are carefully studied to help improve safety for all flights in the future. The airline and aviation authorities always work to learn from every situation to make air travel as safe as possible.

Other Parts of the LATAM Group

The LATAM Airlines Group includes more than just passenger flights. It has other companies that help with different parts of the airline business:

• LATAM Cargo Brasil: This part of the company handles shipping goods and packages by air.
• Multiplus Fidelidade: This is the customer loyalty program that helps passengers earn and use points.
• TAM Aviação Executiva: This company provides air services for business people.
• TAM Viagens: This service helps Brazilians plan their vacations. TAM Vacations does the same for Americans.
• TAM Museum: This was a museum in São Carlos that showed old airplanes and the history of aviation.

See also

In Spanish: LATAM (Brasil) para niños

• Brasil Central Linhas Aéreas
• Helisul Linhas Aéreas
• List of airlines of Brazil

Images for kids

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  This building across the street from Congonhas-São Paulo Airport and the fuel station seen to the left of it were completely destroyed in a 2007 accident. A memorial garden and monument now stand at the site.

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  The TAM Express warehouse after the crash of Flight 3054.