After delaying the renewal of the single-aisle jet fleet, LATAM announced on Friday that it intends to sign an agreement to acquire 28 new A320neos with Airbus.
The order, however, is subject to approval by the US Court, which follows the airline’s bankruptcy process, the so-called “Chapter 11”.
LATAM did not give details of the versions to be chosen, but confirmed that it intends to have 70 aircraft from the Neo family in order to reduce fuel consumption and also help the goal of neutralizing the environmental footprint by 2050.
“The purchase of these highly efficient aircraft is a sign of the commitment we have made to transforming to a carbon neutral LATAM by 2050. At the same time, these 70 aircraft reinforce the region’s connectivity scale. We will continue to work responsibly to leave Chapter 11 with a fleet that can keep up with the group’s new challenges”, said Roberto Alvo, CEO of LATAM Airlines Group.
The airline currently has an order for 36 A320neo and 19 A321neo. LATAM received 13 aircraft, but kept 12 of them in the fleet.
According to Planespotters, six A320neo are in the Chilean division and another six in the Brazilian branch.
LATAM was the first airline in the Americas to operate the A320neo in 2016. In 2018, the model, which had debuted in Brazil, was transferred to LATAM Chile.
Only in January 2019, Airbus returned to deliver new A320neo, which began to be incorporated at a good pace until the end of that year. Since then, there have been no more deliveries amidst the pandemic.
