Latam will triple the domestic supply of seats at Galeão Airport (Rio de Janeiro) amid the restrictions imposed on Santos Dumont. The expansion will be supported by the opening of routes from the Rio international terminal to Manaus, Recife and Natal in January 2024.
In a resolution published in August, the government restricted the radius of flights departing from Santos Dumont Airport to 400 kilometers to stimulate demand at Galeão, the international terminal. The measure will come into effect on January 2, 2024.
In this scenario, Latam will only operate direct flights to Congonhas from the first month of next year. Travel between Rio de Janeiro and the airports of Navegantes, Goiânia, Florianópolis and Curitiba will only be possible through a connection in Congonhas.
In relation to international travel, the airline will maintain Galeão flights to Buenos Aires (Argentina), Lima (Peru) and Santiago (Chile), as well as contributions from its joint venture with Delta Air Lines. From December 2023 to March 2024, Delta will operate the Galeão-New York and Galeão-Atlanta seasonal routes.
As a final balance, the company will increase its total offer (ASK) of seats (domestic and international) by 5% throughout Rio de Janeiro. The number takes into account the comparison of the company’s operations in the capital of Rio de Janeiro in the first quarter of 2023 with that scheduled for the first quarter of 2024.
The news was celebrated by the mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Eduardo Paes, on Twitter, who classified the expansion as “another great news for Galeão”. The politician is one of the main defenders of restrictions on Santos Dumont.
Earlier, Azul also announced the expansion of operations at Galeão, jumping from three daily flights to 30 from the international terminal.
