LATAM Airlines restarts Oceania routes in late 1Q22

LATAM Airlines (LA, Santiago de Chile Int’l) is reprising its routes to Oceania on March 29 with 3x weekly services between Santiago de Chile Int’l (Chile), Auckland Int’l (New Zealand), and Sydney Kingsford Smith (Australia) following a two-year hiatus while the countries remained closed during the pandemic.

“The resumption of routes to New Zealand and Australia is one more step on the way to a new normal. We will continue working toward greater international connectivity,” Regional Marketing and E-commerce Manager Claudio Moro said in a statement.

The announcement was timed shortly before Australia re-opened its international borders on February 21 after having been closed since March 2020 because of COVID-19. Western Australia remains closed until March 3.

In order to enter New Zealand, passengers must meet specific entry requirements, which will be made more flexible in phases with the complete reopening of its borders scheduled for October 2022.

LATAM Airlines Group is preparing to exit a two-year Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection period next month with a restructuring plan that foresees the infusion of USD8.19 billion into the group through a mix of new equity, convertible notes, and debt. This will give LATAM liquidity of USD2.67 billion and total debt of USD7.26 billion once it emerges from Chapter 11.

According to Group operating statistics for January 2022, LATAM expects to recover up to 49% of its seat offer in February after having re-established flights to 19 destinations: Asuncion (Paraguay), Barcelona El Prat and Madrid Barajas (Spain), Bogotá (Colombia), Buenos Aires Aeroparque, Buenos Aires Ezeiza and Mendoza (Argentina), México City Int’l (Mexico), Frankfurt Int’l (Germany), Lima Int’l (Peru), Lisbon (Portugal), London Heathrow (UK), Miami Int’l, Orlando Int’l, and New York JFK (US), Milan Malpensa (Italy), Montevideo (Uruguay), Paris CDG (France), and Santiago (Chile).