Happy Birthday LATAM

IATA ICAO Callsign LA LAN LAN CHILE

LATAM 787-9 CC-BGE (CN 38478)   File Photo

LATAM Airlines, formerly LAN Airlines S.A. and Lan Chile, is an airline based in Santiago, Chile, and is one of the founders of LATAM Airlines Group, Latin America's largest airline holding company. The main hub is Comodoro Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport, with secondary hubs in El Dorado (Bogotá), Jorge Chávez (Lima), José Joaquín de Olmedo (Guayaquil) airports. LAN Airlines was the flag carrier of Chile until its privatization in the 1990s, is the predominant airline in Chile and Peru, and the second largest carrier in Argentina, Colombia and Ecuador, through its local subsidiaries. LAN is the largest airline in Latin America, serving Latin America, North America, the Caribbean, Oceania, and Europe. The carrier has been a member of the Oneworld airline alliance since 2000.  LATAM Airlines Group was formed after the takeover by LAN of Brazilian TAM Airlines, which was completed on June 22, 2012.  In August 2015, it was announced that the two airlines would fully rebrand as LATAM, with one livery to be applied on all aircraft by 2018. Currently, LAN and TAM continue to work as separate companies, under a common executive management. LATAM Airlines Group is currently the largest airline conglomerate in Latin America.



5th March 1929 (as Línea Aeropostal Santiago-Arica)
17th June 2005 (as LAN Airlines)
5th May 2016 (as LATAM Chile)

LAN A340-313 CC-CQC (CN 363)    File photo

The airline was founded by Chilean Air Force Commodore Arturo Merino Benítez (after whom Santiago International Airport is named), and began operations on the 5th March 1929 as Línea Aeropostal Santiago-Arica under the government of President Carlos Ibáñez del Campo. In 1932 it was rebranded as Línea Aérea Nacional de Chile using the acronym LAN-Chile as its commercial name. LAN-Chile's first fleet consisted of de Havilland Moth planes. Merino Benitez was a strong defender of Chilean carriers exclusivity on domestic routes.  In 1936, 2 French Potez 560 airplanes were purchased while in 1938, 4 German Junkers Ju 86Bs were incorporated to the fleet. During that same year, a joint cooperation agreement was established with Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano and the Peruvian carrier Faucett. Another agreement with Lufthansa was signed for flights to & from Europe and America's Atlantic coast. In 1940, given the restrictions imposed during WWII on access to spare parts for the Junker's BMW engines, LAN-Chile had to replace them for Lockheed Electra 10-A planes, adding in 1941 further Lockheed Lodestar C-60 and Douglas DC-3 in 1945.
LAN Airlines was the flag carrier of Chile until its privatization in the 1990s, is the predominant airline in Chile and Peru, and the second largest carrier in Argentina. LAN is the largest airline in Latin America, serving Latin America, North America, the Caribbean, Oceania, and Europe. The carrier has been a member of the Oneworld airline alliance since 2000.
LATAM Airlines Group was formed after the takeover by LAN of Brazilian TAM Airlines, which was completed on the 22nd June 2012. In August 2015, it was announced that the two airlines would fully rebrand as LATAM, with one livery to be applied on all aircraft by 2018. Currently, LAN and TAM continue to work as separate companies, under a common executive management. LATAM Airlines Group is currently the largest airline conglomerate in Latin America.




The LATAM Chile fleet consists of the following aircraft (139 as of February 2019)

LATAM Chile Fleet

Aircraft	In Service	Orders	Passengers			Notes
			J	Y	Total
Airbus A319-100	18	—	—	144	144
Airbus A320-200	54	—	—	168	168
				174	174
				186	186
Airbus A320neo	5	7	—	174	174
Airbus A321-200	18	—	—	220	220
Airbus A321neo	—	5	TBA			Deliveries to begin in 2019.
Boeing 767-300ER	18	—	30	191	221
Boeing 777-200ER	2	—	TBA
Boeing 787-8	10	—	30	217	247	CC-BBC grounded as of February 2019
Boeing 787-9	14	12	30	274	304
Total	139	24

LATAM Airlines is Certified with the 3-Star Airline Rating for the quality of its onboard product and staff service, and the LATAM Airlines home base Airport service. In the 2018 Skytrax Airlines awards for the best airlines, LATAM was ranked 61 out of 100 - dropping 4 places from 57th spot in 2017. Company Slogan:  Together - Further