Latam Airlines hosted their inaugural flight to South Africa, direct from Sau Paulo on Sunday 3 September 2023. A ribbon cutting ceremony was held and passengers on the first flight were met at the gate by company executives where they were warmly welcomed .

Amongst the guests were Davide Loppolo, Latam’s regional commercial director for Central and South East Europe, UK, Nordics, Middle East and South Africa.

“ finally, after 3 years, we are reconnecting these two cities , which means two continents. Thanks to agreements with local airlines in South Africa and our network of destinations in South America , we can offer the best experience and flexibility to explore an entire region “

Soorya Oogarah, Managing Director Airline and System and Travel Services of Roger Aviation thanked guests who attended both the inaugural event and the celebratory event held at Bryanston Country Club on Tuesday 5 September where guests were treated to a sit down meal with a bespoke table setting of beautiful South African flowers marking the beginning of Spring and a new chapter for Latam Airlines.

Latam Airline is the only Brazilian airline flying direct from Africa to Brazil on a route that is expected to carry about 75 000 passengers a year. Being efficient and competitive Latam airline has flights from Brazil to 90 direct and indirect destinations worldwide.

The new route will be operating three times a week on Boeing 787-900 aircraft which seats 300 passengers ( 30 in premium business, 57 in premium economy and 213 in economy)
The flight departs from Johannesburg O.R. International airport at 13:05 local time on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays. From São Paulo Guarulhos airport it departs at 17:25 local time on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays.
Latam Airlines has focused it’s efforts on several fronts to offer an increasingly simpler, faster, safer and closer travel experience to passengers. These are:

• Faster pre-boarding: LATAM offers three services that streamline passenger service at the airport. Automatic Check-in dispenses with in-person or online check-in and allows customers to automatically receive their virtual boarding pass on their mobile phone. Self-Service Kiosks, installed at 34 of the company’s airports in Brazil, allow customers to print and tag their own baggage. Express Baggage Dispatch, installed at 9 airports in the country, reduces queuing time by up to 50%.

•More modern aircrafts: LATAM operates a modern and efficient fleet of Airbus and Boeing aircrafts. In South America, it operates flights with Airbus A320 family aircraft and, in some cases, wide-body aircraft such as the Boeing 767, 787 and 777, which are also used on long-haul international flights.

• Full entertainment on LATAM Play: a free experience for LATAM customers during domestic and international flights. It is available on individual seat screens (for Boeing 767, 787 and 777 aircraft), via QR code or via the website http://latamplay.com/ for personal mobile devices (for Airbus A319, A320, A320neo and A321 aircraft). The platform offers the largest catalogue of inflight entertainment free of charge. There are more than 100 movies, 300 series episodes, games and music, as well as access to the HBO Max catalogue.

• Brazilian Flavour: since the beginning of the year, LATAM has been promoting female chefs from different regions of Brazil through its “Brazilian Flavour” programme. Every three months, the airline schedules a signature dish (lunch and dinner) signed by these professionals to make up the menu in the Premium Business and Economy cabins of its international long-haul flights (more than 7 hours) departing from Brazil. From August 1st, the menu includes the Amazônia Encantada dish (grilled pirarucu with seasonal vegetables, manteiguinha beans, special cream and Amazonian spice farofa) signed by chef Débora Shornik and representing the northern region of the country.

• Premium Business for more comfort on board: with seats that recline up to 180°, this cabin offers more privacy with direct access from all seats to the aisle of the aircraft, blanket and pillow, amenity kit, full in-flight entertainment and premium cuisine. Customers travelling in the Premium Business cabin also have exclusive service at the airport, from check-in to landing, and guaranteed access to all LATAM lounges.

LATAM Airlines, without frontiers

By Marion Kate