LATAM Airlines Group has announced it will resume its commercial route between São Paulo Guarulhos International Airport (GRU), Brazil, and Johannesburg International Airport (JNB), South Africa. The route will be resumed in July 2023, with three weekly frequencies onboard the airline’s Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner fleet, after more than three years halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Friday, LATAM announced it will resume its only passenger scheduled service between South America and Africa. As of July 2023, LATAM Brazil will operate direct flights from São Paulo Guarulhos to Johannesburg. The South African city will join the list of more than 20 international destinations flown by LATAM.
With the new route, customers will be able to reach the African city in just 9 hours on one of the three direct weekly flights that will be carried out on Boeing 787-9 aircraft, which accommodate 300 passengers (30 in Premium business class and 270 in economy class), LATAM said in a statement.
As of October 2022, LATAM operates 212 international flights from São Paulo Guarulhos to 20 destinations, according to data by Cirium. The airline offers passenger services to destinations in South America, North America, Europe, and Asia from Brazil. From Chile, LATAM Chile flies to Oceania, with its recently resumed services to Auckland and Sydney.
The international recovery
LATAM had recovered around 72% of its capacity (measured in seats available) in the international market by September 2022. The company currently flies to 20 international destinations (it had 26 before the COVID-19 pandemic).
LATAM’s international destinations from Brazil are Asunción, Barcelona, Bogotá, Buenos Aires/Aeroparque, Buenos Aires/Ezeiza, Mexico City, Frankfurt, Lima, Lisbon, London, Madrid, Mendoza, Miami, Milan, Montevideo, New York, Orlando, Paris, Rome, and Santiago. As of October 2022, there will be 21 destinations, with the resumption of direct flights to Boston.
The airline expects to close the year with a forecasted capacity of around 82% compared to 2019 levels. It will operate about 1,930 international landings and take-offs, a growth of 24% compared to September and more than double the volume of flights it had last year. About Johannesburg, Aline Mafra, LATAM Brazil’s Director of Sales and Marketing, said,
“Johannesburg is another milestone in our international resumption movement, which is being carried out in a strategic way, expanding the offer where there is passenger demand. This flight will meet a corporate demand that has always been relevant between the countries, in addition to the potential tourism at the destination. A direct operation between the countries will undoubtedly be a differentiated product in the airline market.”
Connectivity between Africa and Latin America
In October 2019, there were around 43 weekly flights between Africa and Latin America. Six airlines operated ten routes; all of them landed in Brazilian destinations such as Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Recife, Salvador, and Fortaleza.
Currently, there are only ten weekly flights between both regions, operated by TAAG and Ethiopian Airlines. TAAG flies from Luanda to São Paulo, while Ethiopian operates a daily service from Addis Ababa to São Paulo.
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