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LATAM Airlines Group announced today that it will offer non-stop flights between Santiago and Quito, Ecuador, starting 1 April 2019. The airline group will operate four non-stop flights per week using the latest generation Airbus A320neo aircraft, with capacity for 174 passengers.

“As part of our commitment to improving connectivity in Latin America, we look forward to offering our passengers this new non-stop service, which will reduce journey times and open new travel, tourism and business possibilities. Over the past three years, we have launched an historic 67 routes, further strengthening our unrivalled network in the region and bringing South America closer to the world,” said Enrique Cueto, CEO of LATAM Airlines Group.

LATAM Airlines Group flight LA548 (Santiago-Quito) will depart from Santiago’s Arturo Merino Benitez airport on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday at 06:00, arriving in Quito at 09:00. The return flight (LA549) will operate on the same days and depart from Mariscal Sucre International Airport at 09:55, arriving in Santiago at 16:55 (all times local). With an outbound and return flight time of five hours, the non-stop service will reduce travel times between the capital cities by more than two hours, 30 minutes.

The route will complement LATAM’s daily non-stop service between Santiago and Guayaquil, increasing its seat capacity between Chile and Ecuador by 72,500 seats annually, equivalent to 62% growth. From Quito, LATAM offers domestic connections to Guayaquil, Cuenca and the Galapagos islands.

The Airbus A320neo

The A320neo incorporates the latest technologies including new generation engines and ‘Sharklet’ wing tip devices, which together deliver more than 15% in fuel savings, a 5,000-tonne reduction in annual CO2 emissions per aircraft and 50% less noise than previous generation aircraft.

LATAM was the first airline group in the Americas to receive the A320neo in August 2016 and currently has four in its fleet with a further 51 A320neo family aircraft on order. With its Santiago-Quito service, LATAM will also be the first carrier to operate the A320neo in Ecuador.

LATAM’s network expansion

Over the past three years, LATAM has launched an unprecedented 67 new routes, connecting the region like no other airline group with over 1,300 daily flights to more than 140 destinations worldwide. In 2018 alone, LATAM has inaugurated services to new international destinations including Costa Rica, Boston, Las Vegas, Rome and Lisbon. In December, it will commence flights to Tel Aviv and in 2019 it will serve Munich for the first time.

Tickets are available from today via latam.com