Brazil's competition regulator Cade said on Monday that a deal between LATAM Airlines LAN.SN, British Airways and Iberia could have a negative impact on routes between Brazil and Europe. Chile-headquartered LATAM signed joint business agreements in January to deepen its ties with American Airlines Group and IAG's British Airways and Iberia, all members of the Oneworld Alliance.
Falkland Islanders has been warned that fresh produce may be in short supply for some time to come due to changes in the Chilean Customs' procedures. Stanley Growers owner Tim Miller said that a large order for fruit and vegetables was not shipped from Santiago last week, as Customs officials at Punta Arenas insisted for the first time that LATAM airline provide them, in advance, with exact weight and contents of the cargo.
The Amaro family from Brazil, one of the main controllers of LATAM Airlines, sold a 6.47% stake in the regional carrier on Friday on the Santiago stock exchange for some US$296 million, as part of a strategy to modify the company's ownership structure.
Latin America's largest airline, reported a wider-than-forecast net loss in the second quarter of US$92 million, as it struggles to overcome tough economic conditions in its key markets. The airline made a loss of US$50 million in the same period a year ago, a quarter that is traditionally weak for seasonal reasons.
The largest airline in Latin America, Latam, (Lan Chile and Braizl's TAM) announced it is suspending its flights to Venezuela because of the worsening economic situation. The suspension came a day after Germany's Lufthansa said it would suspend its services to the country.
A Brazilian government led by Vice-President Michel Temer would consider allowing foreign owners to acquire a controlling stake in local airlines, one of his closest aides revealed. Wellington Moreira Franco, a chief economic adviser for Temer and a former aviation minister, said relaxing the current limits on foreign ownership would help bolster competition in an industry suffering its worst crisis in decades.
Chile's LAN Airlines CEO will pay a US$75,000 fine to settle charges that he authorized improper payments to Argentina union officials to persuade them to ease their demands in a labor dispute, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Latam Airlines Group, made up of Chilean and Brazilian investors, ended last year with losses of 219 million dollars. However during the same period the Cueto family investment group, identified as Costa Verde Aeronautica, CVA, suffered even higher losses, 414 million dollars, mostly because of the performance problem of the largest Latin American airline.
LATAM Airlines Group will consolidate all its carriers, including Lan Airlines and Tam Linhas Aéreas S.A., into a single brand over the next three years, the company announced Thursday. Since Lan and Tam merged in 2012, they've operated as separate brands, but the parent company's goal has been to provide a carrier that can provide seamless coverage to the entire South American continent.
South African Airways (SAA) and Brazilian carrier TAM Airlines have signed a codeshare agreement to increase access to destinations in both countries for both leisure and business travellers.