ONE AND THE SAME LATAM is expanding its overseas service with Boeing jetliners BY ELIZABETH BIERI I230 planes on order. America and the fourth customer in the LATAM aims to be part of this Latin Ameri-passengers took their first flight, accordingto Boeing’s Commercial Market Outlook.August and has 31 on order. LAN was thefirst customer in both North and Southt’s South America’s biggest carrier,with a fleet of 311 aircraft and another Known as the LATAM Airlines Group, world to receive the 787. The 787s will can transformation, providing world-class it was created in June by the merger of allow LATAM to open new markets and bet- customer service, the latest technology Brazil’s TAM and Chile’s LAN airlines. ter serve others ahead of their competition. and, for many, a first flying experience, Having carried 60 million passengers In addition to the first Dreamliner, airline officials said. in 2011 on routes to more than 150 des- Boeing will have delivered to LATAM this The newly merged company is off to tinations, the merged airlines are planning year (in the seven-month period from June a good start. LATAM is the ninth-largest to expand their overseas footprint from to December) 18 twin-aisle airplanes, a mix passenger airline in the world in terms of their four major hubs in South America, of 767, 787 and 777 passenger airplanes, available seat kilometers, a common linking North America, Europe and islands as well as the 777 Freighter. measurement of an airline’s size, according in the South Pacific. “It’s an exciting time to be a LATAM to industry data. And second-quarter Boeing’s twin-aisle jetliners, including customer,” said Van Rex Gallard, Boeing revenues across the group were up the 787 Dreamliner, will play an integral vice president of sales for Latin America, 19 percent over last year. role in the plan to expand LATAM’s over- Africa and Caribbean, Commercial Air- “Latin America is an emerging market seas presence. planes. “The addition of 777s and 787s to with a lot of potential for growth,” Gallard The merger of LAN and TAM is one of their fleet gives LATAM a lot of flexibility said. “LATAM’s young, widebody fleet will expansion, with the routes flown by the to grow their overseas presence in a sus- be the bright start of this market.” n two airlines only overlapping by 3 percent. tainable way, while continuing to improve elizabeth.e.bieri@boeing.com This allows LATAM to have an extensive the passenger experience and staying on presence in South America without much top of the competition.” redundancy and inefficiency. In recent years, the Latin American PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: A LAN 767, With the merger, LATAM Airlines Group economy has transformed into a market foreground, and TAM 777. Although has one of the highest market capitaliza- of stable growth and high potential. In recently merged, LAN and TAM will continue to operate as two separate tions in the airline industry. 2011, the number of domestic air travelers airlines, keeping their individual LAN Under the LAN brand, the new airline in Brazil rose above the number of bus and TAM liveries. BRANDON LUONG/BOEING; group received its first 787 Dreamliner in passengers for the first time, as 8.7 million AIRPLANE PHOTOS: ED TURNER/BOEING 44 BOEING FRONTIERS / NOVEMBER 2012
Frontiers November 2012 Issue
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