LATAM Airlines announced the return of direct flights between Santiago, Chile, and Melbourne, Australia, starting September 1, 2023.
The air route had been suspended in April 2020, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It was the company’s longest flight, covering more than 11,000 kilometers.
According to the carrier, flights to Melbourne will resume with three weekly frequencies and will be operated on Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner jets, with capacity for 300 passengers. Tickets for the flight are already on sale on the airline’s platforms.
With the resumption of flights to Melbourne, the company will gradually increase its presence in the Australian market. In March 2022, LATAM returned to serve the route from Santiago to Sydney, with three flights a week, which later became daily.
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“We are very happy to reinforce connectivity between South America and Oceania through this second route to Australia. We will maintain our commitment to offer more options to bring people closer to their destination with safety, punctuality and an internationally recognized service,” said María Paz Villasante, Commercial Strategy Manager at LATAM Airlines Group.
The Minister of Industry and Innovation of the Government of the State of Victoria, Ben Carroll, reinforced the importance of restarting LATAM’s operations in Oceania. “This will help boost our economy by increasing exports, creating jobs and welcoming more tourists and students from Latin America.”
LATAM and Qantas flights to Australia and New Zealand are the shortest and most simplified routes for passengers from South America, due to the route close to the Antarctic Circle.
