LATAM Aircraft Color Schemes Revealed - Will appear on Current Airlines of LAN & TAM Group

LAN, LAN Argentina, LAN Peru and TAM, all airlines of the LATAM group that currently fly to Argentina and Uruguay, will soon fly under that one name and in the new color scheme revealed earlier today. 

It features a fuselage that is nearly all-white with all capital "LATAM" titles and a double sideways "V" logo above the windows in the front.  The tail features interlaced blue and pinkish red stripes with the blue sweeping down to the lower rear fuselage as illustrated here:

LATAM 787-9 over Rio de Janeiro.  (Photo: LATAM)   

LATAM A350 over the Andes.  (Photo: LATAM)

Details and commentary: 

http://airwaysnews.com/blog/2016/04/28/latam-unveils-its-new-unified-livery/

http://www.airlinereporter.com/2016/04/latam-releases-new-livery-branding/

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/latam-airlines-group-premieres-the-global-latam-brand-with-new-aircraft-uniform-and-airport-designs-300259422.html

Look for this new color scheme at many airports in Argentina plus Montevideo (MVD) in Uruguay!

PHOTO GALLERY: LAN Argentina A320 LV-FUX with special "Copa America - Chile 2015" Stickers

The Copa America - Chile 2015 football/soccer championships with national teams from all over the Americas participating was played in Chile in July and August and to celebrate the occasion, the Chilean airline LAN and some of its South American affiliates, including TAM, applied special "Copa America Chile 2015" stickers to select aircraft in their fleets.     

The excellent Argentine aviation blog, Gaceta Aeronautica, noted that at least 38 aircraft from the LAN fleet plus one TAM airplane had the stickers applied, including 3 A319's each of LAN and LAN Ecuador, 24 A320's of LAN, 4 A320's of LAN Argentina, 4 767-300's of LAN, and 1 TAM 777-300. 

The LAN Argentina A320's were LV-BET, LV-BRY, LV-BSJ and LV-FUX pictured below.

LAN Argentina A320, LV-FUX (c/n 4543), taxiing at Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) on 15Jul15 with special "Copa America Chile 2015" sticker.  (Phil Perry Photo)   

For the full list of 39 aircraft that wore the sticker, visit the following Gacena Aeronautica webpage and scroll about a third of the way down the page:

http://www.gacetaeronautica.com/gaceta/wp-101/?p=12371       

View the following YouTube video of the sticker being applied to a LAN 767-300:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrUYKj6XlFQ

ROUTE UPDATE: TAM added Punta del Este (PDP) - Sao Paulo Guarulhos (GRU) service effective 02Jul15

TAM added new 2x/weekly service between Sao Paulo Guarulhos (GRU) and Punta del Este (PDP), effective 02Jul15.  The flights will initially operate on Thursdays and Sundays using A320's with greater frequency likely during the summer high season next January and February.  

The new service is being launched with the help of a marketing agreement with the Conrad Punta del Este resort, casino and convention center, the Uruguayan resort destination's highest profile entertainment and lodging facility.  The promise of the new flight is that passengers from all over TAM's network will have easy access to Punta del Este through TAM's Sao Paulo Guarulhos' hub. Main points of origination will likely be airports from nearly all of TAM's network, including Brazil from Porto Alegre north, the Americas from Peru all the way to the USA plus Europe.  

TAM will presumably codeshare at some point with other airlines from the Oneworld airline alliance through its GRU hub, such as British Airways from London and possibly other European airports too, extending access to Punta del Este to many points worldwide.

Sources:

http://airlineroute.net/2015/06/16/jj-grupdp-jul15/ via Eric Trum
http://www.elobservador.com.uy/nueva-ruta-aerea-unira-punta-del-este-y-san-pablo-n305191         

ROUTE UPDATE: TAM added Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) - Brasilia (BSB) service on 03Jul15

TAM A320, PR-MAV (c/n 2393), taxis at Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) on 15Aug14 (one year ago today!).  (Phil Perry Photo)

There has been a lot of new service added between Argentina and Brazil lately by both Gol and TAM, which added to flights by Aerolineas Argentinas and Austral add up to connectivity between the two countries many times over what existed just a few years ago.

One of the most recent new flights has been added by TAM from Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) to Brasilia (BSB) 4x/weekly using A320's, effective 03Jul15.  This new service connects through TAM's Brasilia hub to five points in northeast Brazil, including 4x/weekly flights to Fortaleza (FOR), 7 to Maceio (MCZ), 4 to Natal (NAT), 4 to Recife (REC) and 4 to Salvador (SSA). 

TAM's present schedule between Argentina and Brazil includes the following flights:

Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) - Sao Paulo Guarulhos (GRU)

Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) - Rio de Janeiro Galeao (GIG)

Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) - Recife (REC)

Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) - Sao Paulo Guarulhos (GRU) 

Cordoba (COR) - Sao Paulo Guarulhos (GRU)   

Rosario (ROS) - Sao Paulo Guarulhos (GRU)   

Sources:

http://airlineroute.net/2015/04/28/jj-bsbeze-jul15/ via Eric Trum

http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2015/avn150709/avn-150709.html

www.flightstats.com 

ROUTE UPDATE: TAM added 1x/weekly A320 service between Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) and Recife (REC)

TAM added 1x/weekly A320 service from Recife (REC) to Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) on Saturdays, returning to Recife on Sundays, effective 24Jan15. The five-hour nonstop flight is expected to stimulate tourist traffic between Argentina and the northeastern Brazilian state of Pernambuco.   

Sources:

http://airlineroute.net/2014/12/31/jj-receze-jan15/ via Eric Trum
http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2014/avn141204/avn-141204.html

ROUTE UPDATES: Amaszonas starts Montevideo to Santa Cruz / TAM increasing flights Montevideo to Rio De Janeiro / LAN Argentina restarts Bahia Blanca flights / British reducing service from Buenos Aires to London

* Amaszonas Lineas Aereas started 3x/weekly service between Montevideo (MVD) and Santa Cruz de la Sierra (VVI) via Asuncion (ASU) on 11Dec14 using CRJ-200's.  From VVI, passengers will be able to connect to Cuzco (CUZ) and Arequipa (AQP) in Peru, La Paz, Bolivia (LPB), Iquique, Chile (IQQ), and Salta, Argentina (SLA). 

* TAM Brazilian Airlines will increase service from Montevideo (MVD) to Rio de Janeiro Galeao (GIG) from 4x to 7x weekly effective 31Dec14 with all flights being operated with A320's. 

* LAN Argentina will reintroduce service between Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) and Bahia Blanca (BHI) on a daily basis effective January 2015 using A320's.  The airline suspended service on the route earlier this year due to the need for aircraft on heavily-traveled winter routes, but also because the Argentine aviation authorities would not grant the carrier permission to add more aircraft to its fleet, not even to replace airplanes out of service on a temporary basis for maintenance.  

* British Airways will reduce service between Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) and London Heathrow (LHR) from 7x to 5x/weekly effective 29Mar15, the end of the southern hemisphere summer season.  The service used to be operated with 747-400's via Sao Paulo Guarulhos (GRU) but transitioned to nonstop 777-200's a few years ago which will be maintained.  Drop in demand is cited as the main reason for the service reduction. 

Sources:

http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2014/avn141127/avn-141127.html
http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2014/avn140925/avn-140925.html
http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2014/avn141113/avn-141113.html
http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2014/avn141120/avn-141120.html
http://airlineroute.net/2014/09/29/ba-eze-s15/ via Eric Trum
http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2014/avn140918/avn-140918.html
http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1729411-british-airways-reducira-dos-frecuencias-entre-buenos-aires-y-londres

ROUTE UPDATE: TAM increased Montevideo (MVD) to Brazil Service

TAM Airlines A320-232, PR-MBH, (c/n 2904)  (Phil Perry Photo)

TAM Airlines added three more flights per week from Montevideo (MVD) to Sao Paulo Guarulhos (GRU) effective 08Jun14 for a total of 3-4 flights per day plus it added new 4x/weekly service to Rio de Janeiro Galeao (GIG), effective 30Jun14, both using the carrier's A320 equipment. 

Sources:

http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2014/avn140508/avn-140508.html
http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2014/avn140703/avn-140703.html

ROUTE UPDATE: TAM reintroduced Cordoba (COR) - Sao Paulo Guarulhos (GRU) service on 01Jul14

After a six-year absence from Cordoba (COR), TAM Brazilian Airlines reintroduced service to Sao Paulo Guarulhos (GRU) on 01Jul14 with 5x/weekly flights operated by A320 aircraft.  Service is expected to increase to daily flights by November. 

Cordoba (COR) is TAM's third city and fourth airport in Argentina with the carrier already flying A320 service to Sao Paulo Guarulhos (GRU) from Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) 3x/daily, Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) 2x/daily and Rosario (ROS) 1x/daily.  The airline also has flights to Rio de Janeiro Galeao (GIG) from Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) 2x/daily.     

Sources:

http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2014/avn140417/avn-140417.html
http://airlineroute.net/2014/05/30/jj-grucor-jul14/ via Eric Trum
http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2014/avn140501/avn-140501.html
http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2014/avn140703/avn-140703.html
www.flightstats.com

ROUTE UPDATES: Argentina Airline Route Additions & Changes

TAM Airlines - Effective 11May14

Adding a third daily A320 flight from Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) to Asuncion (ASU).

TAM Airlines - Effective June 2014 (unconfirmed)

Will reintroduce Cordoba (COR) - Sao Paulo Guarulhos (GRU) service after a six-year absence on the route.  The service will be operated daily with A320's. 

TAM had to give up one of its Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) - Sao Paulo Guarulhos (GRU) frequencies to add this new route and still stay within the number of flights allowed by the bilateral agreement between Argentina and Brazil, as the carrier also did when it added a flight from Rosario (ROS) to Sao Paulo Guarulhos (GRU) earlier this year.    

Currently TAM's operations between Argentina and Brazil consist of:

Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) - Sao Paulo Guarulhos (GRU) - 2x/daily
Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) - Rio de Janeiro Galeao (GOG) - 2x/daily
Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) - Sao Paulo Guarulhos (GRU) - 3x/daily
Rosario (ROS) - Sao Paulo Guarulhos (GRU) - 1x/daily

Austral Lineas Aereas - Effective ?
Will increase service on the Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) - Esquel (EQS) route from 2x/weekly to 3x/weekly with flights to be operated with the carrier's E-190's. 

Sources:

http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2014/avn140220/avn-140220.html
http://aeropuertocordoba.blogspot.com.ar/2014/02/buenos-vientos-soplan-en-el-taravella.html

ROUTE UPDATES: Argentina Airline Route Additions & Changes

Several route additions and changes to Argentina have been announced by airlines in recent months.  Those pertaining to Aerolineas Argentinas / Austral have been covered in a recent posting to this blog.  Details regarding service by other carriers are below:

AeroMexico - Effective 02Nov13:  

Increasing Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) - Mexico City (MEX) service from 7x/weekly to 9x/weekly for the southern hemisphere summer.  The additional flights are morning departures on Saturdays and Sundays operated with 767-200's as are the evening flights.

Sol Lineas Aereas - Effective 13Dec13: 

Operating Rosario (ROS) - Punta del Este (PDP) (Uruguay) summer seasonal service 6x/weekly (every day except Saturdays) with Saab 340's.

TAM Brazilian Airlines - Effective 01Jan14:

Starting Rosario (ROS) - Sao Paulo Guarulhos (GRU) daily service using A320's. 

South African Airways - Effective 30Mar14: 

Cancelling Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) - Johannesburg (JNB) service.  Flights have been operated 3x/weekly with A340-300's.      

Sources: 
         
http://www.aeromexico.com
http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2013/avn131017/avn-131017.html
http://www.sol.com.ar/site/new/
http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2013/avn131031/avn-131031.html
http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2013/avn131024/avn-131024.html
http://airlineroute.net/2013/12/03/jj-gruros-jan14/ via Eric Trum
http://airlineroute.net/2013/11/12/sa-eze-ns14cxld/ via Eric Trum

ROUTE UPDATE: TAM Linhas Aereas to start Rosario (ROS) - Sao Paulo Guarulhos (GRU) service effective 01Jan14

TAM Brazilian Airlines A320, PR-MBC, at Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) on 18Sep10, a few days after the airline started serving the airport. (Phil Perry photo)

In a surprise announcement, given that the Argentine ANAC (National Civil Aviation Administration) has denied Rosario (ROS) - Lima service to LAN Argentina and Rosario (ROS) - Panama City (PTY) to COPA in recent years, the Argentine Transport Secretary, Alejandro Ramos, a native of Santa Fe province where Rosario is located, announced recently that TAM Linhas Aereas will start service between Rosario (ROS) and its hub at Sao Paulo Guarulhos (GRU) in Brazil, effective 01Jan14.

To operate the service, TAM will shift one of its existing Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) - Sao Paulo Guarulhos (GRU) frequencies to Rosario.  The new route will presumably be operated with A320's like the Buenos Aires service.  Secretary Ramos claimed that the recent lengthening of Rosario's runway by the national government was key to the new service.

Source:  http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2013/avn130912/avn-
            130912.html     

ROUTE UPDATES: Aerolineas Argentinas, LAN Argentina, GOL & TAM Flights to Bariloche for Ski Season

GOL 737-800's are expected to bring many welcome Brazilian tourists to Bariloche for some skiing this winter. Pictured is PR-GTT at Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) on 16Jan11.  (Phil Perry photo)  

With the start of the winter ski season, flights are on the increase to Bariloche (BRC), mainly for skiing at the nearby Cerro Catedral mountain.

Aerolineas Argentinas will fly to Bariloche (BRC) from:

* Buenos Aires (combination of AEP & EZE?) - 5x/daily on weekdays and  
   7x/daily on weekends 

* Sao Paulo Guarulhos (GRU) - 3x/weekly 

* Santiago de Chile (SCL) - 1x/weekly     

* Belo Horizonte (CNF) - Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) - Bariloche (BRC) 

Flights will presumably be operated with a mix of 737-700's, 737-800's and Austral ERJ-190's, but the occasional widebody might be flown in too. 

LAN Argentina will fly there from:

Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) - 5x/daily on weekdays, 10x on Saturdays and 9x on Sundays, with A320's.   

GOL & TAM are expected to fly 120 charters to Bariloche (BRC) from various Brazilian cities between July and September carrying some 20,000 Brazilian tourists, presumably with a mix of 737-700's, 800's and A319/320/321's respectively but TAM might bring in widebodies too. 

Source:

Aviacion News 27Jun13:

http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2013/aviacion062713/aviacion062713.html

ROUTE UPDATES: Airlines Increase & Introduce New Service to Montevideo (MVD) Replacing PLUNA

Several airlines have increased existing service or introduced new service from Montevideo (MVD) since PLUNA shut down in early July, including:

Austral Lineas Aereas 

New Service with Embraer 190 to:

Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP), 5x/day

BQB Lineas Aereas 

New Service with ATR-72-500 to:

Asuncion (ASU), 5x/week initially, later increased to daily

Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP), 2x/day

Florianopolis (FLN) starting in December

LAN

Increased Service with A319 to:

Santiago (SCL), from 2x/day to 3x/day

TAM

Increased Service with A320 to:

Sao Paulo Guarulhos (GRU), from 2x to 3x/day

New Service with A320 to:

Rio de Janeiro (GIG), 1x/day

In addition, Gol is rumored to be considering increasing its MVD to GRU flights from 1x/day to 2x/day and starting daily MVD to GIG flights next year. 

Sources: Aviacion News
             El Pais Uruguay 27Oct12
             El Observador Uruguay 01Dec12
             www.flightstats.com
   

ROUTE UPDATES: Argentina & Uruguay Routes by Aerolineas Argentinas, BQB, Gol, TAM, LAN & AeroMexico

The following are among the more significant route changes to air service in Argentina and Uruguay recently:

Effective       Airline           Route                  Equip       Change

23Oct12       BQB             MVD-ASU           ATR-72     Increase from 5x to 7x/week, stop
                                                                                  3x/week in Salto, Uruguay (STY)             
26Oct12       TAM             GRU-MVD           A320         Increase from 2x to 3x/day
28Oct12       Gol               GIG-GRU-COR    737           New Service Daily        
15Nov12       TAM             GIG-MVD            A320         New Service Daily
01Dec12       LAN             SCL-MVD            A320         Increase from 2x to 3x/day 
01Dec12       Aerolineas     EZE-CUN            A340         Increase from 2x to 3x/week
                    Argentinas
15Dec12       AeroMexico   MEXEZE             767/777     Reduce from 10x to 7x/week
XXDec12      BQB             MVD-FLN            ATR-72      New Service 

The new and additional MVD service is mostly to replace the cancelled PLUNA service per Aviacion News. 

Sources: http://www.aviacionnews.com/blog/
              http://airlineroute.net/2012/10/11/ar-cun-dec12/  via Eric Trum
              http://airlineroute.net/2012/10/18/am-eze-dec12/ via Eric Trum
              http://www.elpais.com.uy/121019/ultmo-670670/ultimomomento/segun-diario-lopez-
              mena-ahora-quiere-instalarse-en-paraguay/
              http://www.elpais.com.uy/121027/pnacio-672211/nacional/bqb-suma-frecuencias-a-
              asuncion-y-florianopolis/

ROUTE UPDATES: Bariloche (BRC) Sharp Increase in Flights for Winter Ski Season

Bariloche Profile

Bariloche is a city of 108,000 people located on the shores of Lake Nahuel Huapi in the central western Patagonia region of Argentina near the Chilean border. It is a year-round tourist destination and the number one winter ski resort in Argentina in terms of number of skiiers taking advantage of the nearby Cerro Catedral mountain. Argentines and Brazilians are the main visitors but many Europeans and Americans visit Bariloche too.

Aerolineas Argentinas 737-700, LV-CBF, at AEP on 17Sep10

Aerolineas Argentinas / Austral  

Aerolineas Argentinas increased the number of flights it operated from Buenos Aires to Bariloche (BRC) in June to 35 weekly with 28 being from Aeroparque (AEP) and 7 from Ezeiza (EZE).  The carrier will further increase its flights between the two cities to 45 per week for the peak ski season of July and August.  Flights to Bariloche (BRC) will also be increased from Cordoba (COR), Argentina's second-largest city and Mendoza (MDZ) its fourth-largest metropolis.  Aerolineas will also operate thrice-weekly scheduled flights from Sao Paulo, Brazil (GRU) to Bariloche (BRC).    

       LAN Argentina A320, LV-BHU. landing at AEP on 03Oct10 

LAN Argentina

Starting in July, LAN Argentina will fly up to five daily flights from Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) ro Bariloche (BRC) and nine daily flights on weekends using the carrier's Airbus A320 aircraft. 

 

TAM A320, PR-MBB, preparing for takeoff at AEP on 11Feb12

GOL 737-800, PR-GGA, at AEP on 11Feb12

TAM & GOL

Reflecting the strong Brazilian interest in skiing at Bariloche, the two main Brazilian airlines, TAM and GOL have been authorized by the Argentine National Civil Aviation Administration (ANAC by its Spanish initials) to operate 140 charters from Brazil to Bariloche (BRC) during July and August.  The originating airports will be Belo Horizonte (CNF), Porto Alegre (POA), Rio de Janeiro (GIG), and Sao Paulo (GRU) with the services being flown by GOL 737-700's and -800's plus TAM A320's (plus possibly TAM A330's as BRC's 2,348 meter / 7,703 ft. runway can probably handle them when they only carry enough fuel to fly to GIG, the furthest away of the aforementioned Brazilian airports). 

Sources:  Aviacion News 31May12, 07Jun12, 14Jun12
              http://www.airwaysim.com/forum/index.php?topic=6649.0
              Wikipedia

Photos: Phil Perry

ROUTE UPDATE: TAM dropping Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) - Porto Alegre (POA) Route

Effective 02Jul12, TAM is dropping Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) - Porto Alegre (POA) service after operating the route on a once-daily basis with A320's since late 2010.  On the same day, the carrier is transferring three of its five daily Buenos Aires - Rio de Janeiro flights from Ezeiza (EZE) to Aeroparque (see 10Jun12 posting).

Source:  http://airlineroute.net/2012/06/15/jj-poaaep-jul12/ via Eric Trum

ROUTE UPDATE: TAM to transfer 3 out of 5 Sao Paulo Guarulhos (GRU) flights from EZE to AEP

 TAM A320, PR-MAG c/n 1832 at AEP

TAM Brazilian Airlines will transfer three out of its five daily Sao Paulo Guarulhos (GRU) - Buenos Aires flights from Ezeiza (EZE) to Aeroparque (AEP) airport, effective 02Jul12.   Aeroparque is much more convenient for most travelers than Ezeiza because it is actually in the city of Buenos Aires only some 3-4 miles from the downtown business district compared to Ezeiza, which is about 20 miles southwest of the city.

TAM Brazilian Airlines (JJ) already flies A320's from AEP to Porto Alegre (POA) Brazil and its Paraguayan affiliate, also operating under the name TAM (PZ), flies from AEP to Asuncion (ASU) Paraguay and Rio de Janeiro Galeao (GIG).  The new AEP-GRU flights will be more significant because Sao Paulo is Brazil's largest city and most important business center plus GRU is a huge hub for TAM with flights departing the airport to destinations all over Brazil plus North America and Europe.

TAM's Sao Paulo - Buenos Aires service will look like this after the change:

Sao Paulo – Buenos Aires Aeroparque:

Flight     Routing      Dep     Arr        Equipment      Days

JJ8014   GRUAEP     0715   1005       A320             Daily
JJ8010   GRUAEP     1120   1406       A320             Daily
JJ8008   GRUAEP     1830   2110       A320             Daily
JJ8009   AEPGRU     1105   1410       A320             Daily
JJ8005   AEPGRU     1505   1750       A320             Daily
JJ8015   AEPGRU     2210   0055+1    A320             Daily

Sao Paulo – Buenos Aires Ezeiza:

Flight     Routing      Dep     Arr       Equipment       Days

JJ8000   GRUEZE     0835   1125      A330              Daily
JJ8018   GRUEZE     1420   1710      A320              Daily
JJ8019   EZEGRU     1345   1635      A320              Daily
JJ8011   EZEGRU     1810   2050      A320              Daily

Source: http://airlineroute.net/2012/06/07/jj-bue-jul12/ via Eric Trum