LATAM Airlines Group is using the COVID-19 pandemic to refocus its strengths and push for a better future even as the company navigates through a Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the US. This is according to LATAM’s CEO Roberto Alvo.
Sad to say goodbye to Argentina
During an interview at CAPA’s monthly Live Event, Roberto Alvo and Peter Cerdá, regional vice-president at the Americas for the International Air Travel Association (IATA), discussed the many challenges ahead for the historical airline.
Roberto Alvo said it was a sad moment when LATAM decided to plug its operations from Argentina. After 15 years, it was hard to say goodbye. He said,
“Argentina is a great economy, a great market; it has huge potential as it is very underdeveloped. But we just couldn’t find a set of circumstances where we could believe that we could have a sustainable operation any longer. And we took that very hard decision.”
LATAM ceased operations in Argentina in June 2020 and officially closed down the branch last month.
Before the pandemic, LATAM Argentina operated 12 domestic destinations across Argentina. It also flew to several cities abroad, including Sao Paulo, Santiago de Chile, and Lima. In 2019, the airline carried 3.1 million passengers.
Despite winding down the domestic branch, LATAM will continue the international connectivity out of Ezeiza’s International Airport in Buenos Aires. Plus, leaving a struggling market like Argentina will allow LATAM to refocus on more promising grounds, like Colombia.
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All onboard for Colombia
Leaving Argentina was tough, but it allowed us to focus and redeploy our priorities and opportunities, said Roberto Alvo. He added,
“Today, we’re looking into the Colombian market, which is the second…