RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – LATAM yesterday reported that it plans to operate up to 345 domestic flights per day in Brazil in March 2021, in addition to 11 international routes. According to the company, it projects operating up to 39% of its total capacity (65% domestic and 16% international) compared to what it operated in March 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic.
After a gradual upturn that lasted until the end of last year, airlines ran into trouble again this year as cases of Covid-19 surged in the country, prompting measures significantly restricting mobility in São Paulo, an important market for the industry.
In Brazil, since mid-2020, the company had been resuming its domestic capacity monthly and with more agility. However, from January to February 2021, LATAM has been forced to interrupt this cycle and reduce its domestic capacity in the country from 63% to 57%.
In all, LATAM Group subsidiaries are expected to operate 675 domestic and international flights daily in March 2021, reaching 115 destinations in 16 countries.
“In the case of cargo transport, more than 1,100 flights are scheduled, with a fleet utilization 13% higher than in the same month in 2019,” the company said, stressing that all projections are subject to the evolution of the pandemic, as well as travel restrictions in the countries where the group operates.
In February, when compared to the same month in 2019, LATAM Group’s passenger operations reached 27.3% RPK (seat per kilometer flown) and 35.4% ASK (seat per available kilometer), resulting in a 19.2 percentage point decrease in the occupancy rate, which stood at 64.9%.
In cargo operations, the occupancy rate reached 65.6%, 7.7 percentage points higher than in February 2019. The segment has been “the apple of the airlines’ eye”, particularly given the need to transport medical equipment and the sharp demand for e-commerce.
Soure: Valor