LATAM Airlines Brasil facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
LATAM Airlines Brasil

A LATAM Airlines Brasil Boeing 787-9
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; 49 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	Porto Alegre Rio de Janeiro–Galeão
Frequent-flyer program	LATAM Pass
Fleet size	157
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 is a major airline in Brazil. It used to be called TAM Linhas Aéreas. It's part of the LATAM Airlines Group, which is a big airline company in Latin America. LATAM Airlines Brasil flies to many places both inside Brazil and around the world. Its main bases are in Brasília, Fortaleza, and São Paulo.

This airline is the largest in Brazil for both domestic (inside Brazil) and international flights. It carries a lot of passengers every year. Before it joined with the Chilean airline LAN Airlines, TAM Linhas Aéreas was the biggest airline in Brazil and Latin America. Its main office was in São Paulo. The name "TAM" comes from "Transportes Aéreos Marília," which was the original name of the company when it started in Marília, a city in the state of São Paulo.

History

How the Airline Started

The airline started on February 21, 1961, as a small air taxi company called TAM – Táxi Aéreo Marília. This company helped set up the bigger regional airline later on.

On November 11, 1975, the Brazilian government created a system for regional air travel. TAM – Transportes Aéreos Regionais S/A was one of the new airlines formed. It began flying on July 12, 1976. The airline was founded by Rolim Amaro. It first used small planes called Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirantes. These planes were too small, so TAM bought bigger Fokker F27 planes from the Netherlands. By 1983, TAM had 10 Fokker F27s. By 1984, the airline had flown 2 million passengers!

Growing and Joining Forces

TAM's former headquarters, located at Congonhas Airport.

TAM's former logo (1980-2008)

In 1986, TAM – Transportes Aéreos Regionais (which had the flight code KK) bought another regional airline called VOTEC. VOTEC was renamed Brasil Central Linhas Aéreas. TAM and Brasil Central worked together, sharing their routes and planes, even though they had different flight codes (KK for TAM and JJ for Brasil Central).

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

Adding New Planes and International Flights

In 1989, TAM started using Fokker 100 jet planes. By 1993, TAM had 14 Fokker 100s and flew to 56 cities in Brazil.

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

In 1997, TAM ordered its first large jets from Airbus, including A330s, A319s, and A320s. That same year, TAM started its first international flight from São Paulo to Miami International Airport. In 1999, it began flights to Europe (Paris) by working with Air France. In 2000, the airline was officially renamed TAM Linhas Aéreas.

TAM also bought other smaller airlines over the years, like Helisul Linhas Aéreas in 1996 and Pantanal Linhas Aéreas in 2009. Pantanal later fully joined TAM in 2013.

Becoming LATAM Airlines Group

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

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

On August 13, 2010, TAM agreed to merge with LAN Airlines, a Chilean airline. This created a huge new airline group called LATAM Airlines Group. The merger was completed on June 22, 2012. As of May 5, 2016, TAM officially changed its name to LATAM. Even though the name changed, the flights operated by the Brazilian part of the company still use "TAM" as their call sign.

In July 2020, LATAM Brasil faced financial challenges due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. The company started a process to reorganize its business to help it recover. Despite this, the airline continued to fly normally.

LATAM Paraguay

In 1994, TAM Linhas Aéreas started a small airline in Paraguay called Aerolíneas Paraguayas. Later, in 1996, TAM bought most of the shares of the state-owned airline Líneas Aéreas Paraguayas and merged it with ARPA. The new airline was called TAM – Transportes Aéreos del Mercosur. In 2008, it changed its name to match TAM Airlines, and was often called TAM Paraguay. 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 in Brazil, Paraguay, Africa, Europe, North America, and South America.

As of January 2024, LATAM Brasil (which used to be TAM Linhas Aéreas) flies to the places listed below. This list also includes places that its former smaller airlines, Pantanal Linhas Aéreas and TAM Paraguay, used to fly to.

Working with Other Airlines

LATAM Brasil works with other airlines through "codeshare agreements." This means they sell tickets for flights operated by other airlines, and vice versa. It helps passengers have more choices for their travel.

LATAM Brasil's Airplanes

LATAM Brasil uses many different types of airplanes to fly its passengers.

LATAM Brasil Airbus A320neo.

LATAM Brasil Airbus A321-200 in former oneworld livery.

LATAM Brasil Boeing 777-300ER in Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge/Disney World livery.

TAM Airlines Airbus A319 taxiing at Congonhas Airport in São Paulo, Brazil, February 2019.

Planes They Use Now

As of January 2025, LATAM Brasil flies these aircraft:

Planes They Used Before

LATAM Brasil has used these aircraft in the past:

New Plane Orders

LATAM Airlines Brasil often orders new planes to update its fleet. For example, in 2005, TAM ordered 20 new Airbus A320 family aircraft. They also planned to buy 10 new Airbus A350-900 planes. The first A350 arrived in early 2016.

The airline also signed a deal for 37 more aircraft from Airbus, including A319s, A320s, A321s, and A330s. This brought the total number of planes bought directly from Airbus to 115. The airline also received its first A320 family aircraft with special wingtips called "Sharklets" in April 2013.

LATAM Airlines Brasil takes care of its planes at a special technology center located at São Carlos Airport.

Other Parts of the Company

LATAM Airlines Group has several other businesses:

• LATAM Cargo Brasil handles cargo and freight services.
• Multiplus Fidelidade is a loyalty program where customers can earn points for flights and other purchases.
• TAM Aviação Executiva offers air services for business travelers.
• TAM Viagens helps Brazilians plan their vacations, and TAM Vacations does the same for Americans.
• TAM Museum was a museum in São Carlos that showed old airplanes.

See also

In Spanish: LATAM (Brasil) para niños

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