LATAM recently announced the operation of the Lima – London (LHR) route. Starting in December, it will connect with five weekly frequencies using Boeing 787-9 offering more than 3,303 weekly seats.
With this new route, LATAM returns the connectivity between Lima and London (LHR) completed in March 2020. Before, it was British Airways that temporarily operated from London (LGW) as part of its offer to holiday destinations.
The launch of this new route is possible due to the growth in operating capacity and the high demand for travel. During the previous months, LATAM has added two new B787-9 from the factory which, together with the rotation of material between the different hubs, allows the route offer to be expanded.
Another key factor is demand. The Lima – London route (LHR, in this case) is tested with the previous operations of its former British partner. In a short term, they can be expanded through the offer of connections from other points in South America (such as Santiago, for example) and with other airlines.
LATAM observes a significant increase in passenger demand on international routes, which encourages the recovery of suspended services or the launch of new routes. During the second quarter of 2023, the offer on international routes increased by 48.4%, measured in available seat kilometers (ASK) compared to the same period of 2019. Load factors continue to establish (83.0%) and revenue per available seat kilometer (RASK) by 6.7 US cents, higher than the previous year.
Bet
The primary objective is to offer connectivity and respond to the demand for travel between Peru and the United Kingdom. Going forward, the new LATAM route lays the groundwork for a possible joint partnership with Virgin Atlantic.
LATAM and Virgin Atlantic have an interesting (-and apparent) bilateral alliance. Starting in May 2024, the first will feed the second’s flights from different points in Brazil when the operation to Sao Paulo (GRU) begins. The route is currently served by LATAM with daily flights. In the future, the two companies may expand such cooperation using the operation from Lima.
Starting this year, Virgin Atlantic is also a member of the LATAM Pass program. In October, although the two companies ask the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) for authorization to bring cooperation to flights between South America and the United Kingdom, via the United States. The request considers the subsidiaries of Colombia, Chile and Peru, but valid only for connections with the United Kingdom. The US market is the main one for the British airline.
Both LATAM and Virgin Atlantic are owned by Delta.
strategic london
With the announcement of the new route, LATAM starts connecting London (LHR) from two of its most important hubs: Sao Paulo (GRU) and Lima. In the future, it is not ruled out that if opportunities exist, a third link can be opened from Santiago to compete with British Airways. For now, the offer through Lima would offer better opportunities.
Since LATAM does not return to a global alliance, London (LHR) is configured as a future focus city. Growth in this destination is important due to all the strategic connectivity that can be developed independently, with a potential partner (Virgin Atlantic) and in the future within a global alliance.
The English capital can be an alternative to develop without conflicting with the offer of Air France in Paris (CDG) or KLM in Amsterdam. To date, LATAM does not have a formal business relationship with Air France – KLM Group.
After leaving oneworld, the Chilean airline loses the offer of connections it had in Europe. However, the synergies derived from the merger, the internal efficiencies and the recovery of international demand make it possible to strengthen the network.
With the latest announcement, LATAM connects Europe from Sao Paulo (GRU) to Barcelona, Frankfurt, Lisbon, London (LHR), Madrid, Milan (MXP), Paris (CDG) and Rome (FCO). From Lima it operates to Madrid and in December to London (LHR), while from Santiago de Chile it only flies to the Spanish capital.
Cover photo – Aldo Martinelli
2023-08-18 04:02:13
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