LATAM Chile is planning to launch nonstop flights between Belo Horizonte/Confins - Tancredo Neves International Airport (CNF) in Belo Horizonte and Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport (SCL) in Santiago.

[SCL,CNF]

Belo Horizonte is the sixth largest city in Brazil and the capital of the state of Minas Gerais while Santiago is the capital and largest city of Chile. The service will be offered on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays starting on November 1.

LATAM flight LA 672 will depart from Santiago at 1:04 p.m. Chile Time (CLT) and arrive in Belo Horizonte at 6:10 p.m. Brasília Time (BRT). Flight LA 673 will leave Belo Horizonte at 7:00 p.m. BRT and arrive in Santiago at 11:19 p.m. CLT.

The introduction of direct flights is expected to reduce the travel time between the two cities from eight hours to around five hours. Passengers previously had to connect through São Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport (GRU) to travel between Belo Horizonte and Santiago.

There is currently no direct way to travel between Belo Horizonte and Santiago through Rio de Janeiro since flights from each destination fly to different airports in the city. Galeão International Airport (GIG) and Santos Dumont Airport (SDU) handle flights to Santiago and Belo Horizonte, respectively.

LATAM Brasil's Director of Sales and Marketing Aline Mafra said, “LATAM is the airline that most connects Brazil with the world and we have expanded our direct connections from other countries in South America to Brazilian cities. The Santiago-Belo Horizonte flight is the result of this strategy, or a strengthened and efficient company, which manages to invest in Brazil in a sustainable way and is connected to a global network of more than 140 destinations.”
 

The service will have the capacity to fly more than 27,000 passengers per year between Santiago and Belo Horizonte. LATAM believes that new international flights to Minas Gerais will help establish the state as a tourism destination.

Passengers will also have easier access to Oceania now that they only have to make one stop in Santiago.

LATAM Chile offers nonstop flights to the following destinations in the region from Santiago:

• Auckland Airport (AKL) in New Zealand
• Melbourne Airport (MEL) in Australia
• Mataveri International Airport (IPC) on Easter Island

LATAM Chile and Qantas both offer direct flights to Sydney Airport (SYD) in Australia from Santiago.

Providing direct flights from Brazilian cities to other countries in South America has been a priority for LATAM over the past two years. This year, LATAM Brasil plans to launch nonstop flights to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on August 1 and resume flights to Johannesburg O. R. Tambo International Airport (JNB) on September 2. Both flights will fly from the airline's hub in São Paulo.

LATAM plans to use its Airbus A320 fleet to operate the flights, which can accommodate 12 passengers in Premium Economy and 162 passengers in Economy Class.

Belo Horizonte Airport's Director of Operations Herlichy Bastos said, “This unprecedented operation between our airport and LATAM fills us with pride. We are dedicated to expanding Minas Gerais' connectivity with the international market and strengthening ourselves as a hub. Having a direct route to Chile, which in addition to Santiago, connects visitors to New Zealand and Australia, has great potential. We are confident in the flight and certain of its success.”
 

LATAM Brasil currently offers 93 weekly flights to airports in São Paulo, 21 weekly flights to Rio de Janeiro, and 18 weekly flights to Brasília from Belo Horizonte. The airline offers direct flights to 55 destinations in Brazil and 21 destinations in other countries.

According to Brazil's National Civil Aviation Agency, LATAM Brasil handles 64% of passengers that fly on international flights to and from Brazil and has been the country's largest airline since 2021.

The airline has also outlined plans to reduce carbon emissions by using electricity to power ground operations. Brazil has the potential to become a major hub for the production of sustainable aviation fuel due to its natural resources.