Chilean carriers nix int’l flights as borders close

LATAM Airlines (LA, Santiago de Chile Int’l) has suspended most of its international commercial flights to and from Chile in line with a month-long new closure of the country’s borders on April 5, 2021, to contain the spread of a new wave of the COVID-19 virus. Chile’s border will remain closed until May 4 in line with a Level 4 travel advisory issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, advising that travellers should avoid all travel to Chile. The Chilean government made the announcement on April 1 following a daily record of 7,830 COVID-19 cases in the country. LATAM Chile, in a statement posted on Twitter, said it would maintain only repatriation flights. Those impacted by the border closures were able to change their tickets free of charge. JetSMART (JA, Santiago de Chile Int’l) on its website issued a statement confirming the closure of borders to all international flights. It has introduced a special portal to assist passengers to change their tickets. The airline normally serves Bogotá and Cali (Colombia), Arequipa (Peru), and Buenos Aires Ezeiza (Argentina) from Santiago de Chile Int’l. SKY Airline (Chile) (H2, Santiago de Chile Int’l) has said it will follow suit and suspend international flights during April. The carrier normally serves several destinations in Peru, including Ayacucho, Arequipa, Lima Int’l, Cuzco, Iquitos, Pucallpa, Tarapoto, Trujillo Carlos Martinez de Pinillos, and Tumbes.