LATAM Airlines will introduce one of its newest airplanes, the A350-900 on its route between Sao Paulo and Mexico City. From 30th May onwards, the South American carrier will increase its frequencies between both cities by 11%. Let's take a look at the details.

Trying to bounce back from 2019

Last year, LATAM Airlines saw a decrease of 2% in the number of passengers transported to Mexico. It had a little over 748,000 passengers at the end of 2019, said local newspaper Expansión.

Now, the airline is planning to substitute the Boeing 767, the current airplane used on the Sao Paulo-Mexico City route. By doing this, LATAM will add up to 82 new seats onboard.

Diana Olivares, director for LATAM in Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, said,

“We will add a 20% capacity in Economy class. And like with all our flights with our new airplane configuration, we will also offer our Premium Economy cabin.”

The airline recently launched its new Premium Economy cabin for its A320 fleet. This cabin offers premium services both at the airport and in-flight. The service includes “priority check-in and boarding, differentiated onboard service and a blocked-middle seat, providing greater space and privacy,” said LATAM in a statement.

The A350, the long-haul airplane of the future?

Airbus has received a total of 935 orders for the A350 (759 for the A350-900 and 176 for the A350-1000). Up to 31 January 2020, the manufacturer had delivered 349 units worldwide. LATAM Airlines ordered 17 A350-900 and eight A350-1000. However, it has not received yet any unit of the latter.

If you wanna read the differences between both models you can do it here. The A350-900 is designed to carry 315 passengers in two-class configuration and has a range of 15,000 km.

The big advantage of the Airbus airplane over its main competitor, the Boeing 787-9 is that it can fly much further with a larger payload. As we know, the payload is an important issue for airlines operating in Mexico City, due to the altitude of the airport.

Also, due to its capabilities, we can say the A350 is very well positioned for the future of long-haul travel. What do you think?

LATAM’s A350 would be the second airplane of this family to operate in Mexico City. Lufthansa introduced it first in 2018. But, according to FlightRadar, the German airline has, for the time being, ceased to operate its Munich-Mexico route with the A350, changing it instead for an A340. Consequently, LATAM will be the only operator of this airplane in the country.

What’s up with LATAM lately?

Last week, LATAM signed a new codeshare agreement with Malaysia Airlines. This happened even though LATAM is leaving the oneworld alliance later this year, in May.

Previously, the South American airline also launched its new route between Santiago de Chile and Frankfurt. Previously, it also announced that, because of its new alliance with Delta, it will join the US airline in Terminal 4 at New York’s JFK airport.

It has definitely been an exciting 2020 for LATAM Airlines, as it is trying to refocus its strategy in Latin America, fueled by this new partnership with Delta Air Lines.

What do you think? Have you traveled onboard LATAM’s A350-900? Let us know in the comments.