LATAM eyes increased capacity to Easter Island

LATAM Airlines Group is looking to increase its connectivity to one of its most unique destinations, Rapa Nui’s Mataveri International Airport, in the Pacific. Starting August 1, the Chilean-based airline will operate six weekly flights to the island, employing its Boeing 787 fleet. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Rapa Nui lost most of its connectivity to Chile’s mainland. Using data from Cirium, there are currently only four weekly flights between Santiago de Chile’s Arturo Merino Benítez International and Mataveri International. In July 2019, the Rapa Nui airport had 12 weekly flights from Santiago de Chile and an additional one from Papeete. All flights were and are operated by LATAM Airlines. In fact, all flights to Rapa Nui were suspended until August 2022, when LATAM began flying to IPC once more. The distance between Santiago de Chile and Rapa Nui is 2,336 miles (3,759 kilometers), which could theoretically be covered by either JetSMART or Sky Airline’s Airbus A320-based fleet. Still, none of these two ultra-low-cost carriers have signaled interest in flying to Easter Island.<br/>