Goodbye Airbus A350s: A Deep Dive Into The LATAM Fleet in 2022

#LATAM is a South American airline with a passenger fleet of roughly 300 #planes. The airline group narrowly outnumbers this figure when dedicated freighters are included. This group, which is made up of airline subsidiaries based in a variety of South American #countries, consists of a diversified mix of narrowbodies and widebodies, the former from Airbus and the latter from Boeing. Let's have a look at LATAM #Airlines' and its numerous South American subsidiaries' fleets in today's #article.

Five passenger airlines.

LATAM is technically made up of seven companies as an airline group. LATAM Brasil, Chile, Ecuador, and Peru are the four passenger airlines. LATAM Freight Brasil, Chile, and Colombia are the other three cargo airlines. Ecuador and Peru, as you can see, do not have their own cargo divisions, and Colombia does not have its own LATAM passenger airline. Because LATAM Colombia's Airbus A319 and A320 aircraft are all registered in Chile (with the CC prefix) and operate under LATAM Chile's AOC, this is the case. LATAM Airlines Argentina and LATAM Cargo Mexico were once separate companies. The Argentinian passenger subsidiary, on the other hand, terminated operations in June 2020, while the Mexican freight airline did so in December 2018.

Without delving too far into the history of the airline group in this article, LATAM was formed by the merger of two airlines: LAN and TAM. The former has Chilean origins, whereas the latter has Brazilian origins.

LATAM is no longer a oneworld airline and is no longer a member of any alliance.?

The LATAM Airlines Group was formed in 2012 when LAN and TAM merged to form the LATAM Airlines Group. However, the two airlines would continue to operate under their respective brands in the years to come. Then, in 2015, LATAM would come into being as a single entity. LAN, TAM, and its subsidiaries would all adopt this new brand.

LATAM has been a member of the Oneworld alliance from its inception as a single airline. It did, however, leave the partnership in 2020. The carrier is not a member of any other alliance at the time of writing this article. Moving on to the group's jet fleet, we can observe that the LATAM Airlines group has a total of 287 aircraft if we simply look at passenger aircraft. If the 14 Boeing 767-300 freighters are included, the fleet size rises to 301.

Airbus manufactures all of the carrier's narrowbodies, which are now broken down as follows:

40 Airbus A319s (with an average age of 14 years),

141 Airbus A320s (with an average age of 11 years)

There are 49 A321s (with an average of 8 years).

There are 13 neo variations among the 141 A320s, all of which are less than four years old. Both LATAM Brasil and LATAM Chile operate them. LATAM Brasil is expected to get a few additional A320s in the near future, thus these figures may alter.

LATAM Chile and LATAM Brasil operate the majority of the Airbus narrowbodies, which number in the hundreds. Indeed, Ecuadorian and Peruvian airlines only have a few A319s in their fleets.

For its narrowbody operations, the airline company exclusively utilises Airbus aircraft.?

We have a mix of Boeing aircraft among the group's widebodies. These are 767, 777, and 787 family aircraft. LATAM owns 19 767-300 passenger aircraft after excluding the 14 767 freighters. They range in age from nine and a half to just over sixteen.

One of these 20 planes (CC-BDC) has a more unusual configuration as a preighter. The plane, which had 30 seats in "premium business" and 191 seats in normal economy, was redesigned in 2020 to carry cargo on its passenger deck. This aeroplane now features six premium business seats and only seven economy class seats, according to Planespotters.net. If this is true, it would be a fascinating aircraft to fly in, with a cabin that can only hold 13 passengers!

When it comes to the Boeing 777, the airline group has ten 777-300ERs in service, with an average age of 11 years. All ten of these twinjets are operated by LATAM Brasil, despite the fact that they fly under the LATAM banner. One of these jets, PT-MUA, is painted in a Star Wars-themed livery. If you're flying LATAM from London, Frankfurt, or Madrid to Sao Paulo, there's a chance you'll be boarding this specially-painted plane!

The 787 Dreamliner is the last aircraft in the LATAM fleet. There are 28 Dreamliners in the group now, divided into 10 -8s and 18 -9s. The Boeing Dreamliners have an average lifespan of just under seven years. LATAM Chile flies the majority of these, with only one aircraft bearing a Brazilian registration. More 787s are expected to enter the fleet, which we'll discuss in the next part.

LATAM currently has almost 30 Boeing 787s on the ground, with more on the way.?

Airbus A350s, farewell

The departure of Airbus A350-900s from the LATAM fleet is one of the most significant adjustments. The majority of these were added between 2016 and 2019, with a few more technically coming in 2020. Unfortunately, because to the pandemic's arrival in 2020, these latter aircraft (which were acquired from Qatar Airways) were kept and never used by LATAM.

The majority, if not all, of these A350s are scheduled to go to Delta Air Lines in the United States. In fact, in recent weeks, some of these planes have been receiving their new Delta liveries applied in Singapore. Delta plans to add three of these former LATAM A350s to its fleet this summer, operating them on a variety of long-haul routes. Unfortunately, Delta travellers will not be able to travel in the usual Delta cabin on these flights. They will instead have a higher density layout than Delta's current A350s, allowing for an additional 33 passengers.

The planes "have a temporary seating configuration pending additional alteration to one commensurate with the A350 aircraft existing in [the] fleet," according to a Delta representative.

Delta Air Lines will take many of LATAM's A350s.?

The future fleet of LATAM

Returning to LATAM, it's evident that the airline has decided to consolidate and simplify its operations by partnering with Boeing for widebody aircraft while remaining committed to Airbus for narrowbody aircraft. Between now and 2028, the airline expects to acquire two more 787s and 70 A320neo family jets, according to its fourth-quarter financial figures for 2021.

The airline is anticipating five 787s in all, as three more are still on the way. Three of them are Avolon or Orix Aviation leases that were previously operated by Norwegian Airlines, which has since stopped operating long-haul intercontinental flights.

Boeing has already manufactured the remaining two LATAM Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, according to ch-aviation. Unfortunately, the American aircraft manufacturer has been unable to supply these planes. The delay is due to ongoing certification concerns between Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration, and the aircraft are registered CC-BGQ and CC-BGR. Many of the airlines we've looked at in our fleet analysis series have been affected by this.

Boeing intends to commence deliveries in the second half of 2022, according to the latest information. Given all of the unanticipated difficulties, the planemaker is understandably hesitant to provide a more precise timeframe.

LATAM has a far larger commitment to Airbus than the rest of the world. At least 70 A320neo family aircraft are expected to be delivered to the airline. LATAM Airlines Group CEO Roberto Alvo issued the following statement: "The purchase of these highly efficient aircraft demonstrates our commitment to transforming LATAM into a carbon-neutral region by 2050." At the same time, these 70 aircraft increase the region's connection scale."

In the future, LATAM will take more A320neo family jets.?

Expansion and contraction

While LATAM has stated that it intends to expand its fleet in the future, it has been in a difficult position since the outbreak. Indeed, it chose to file for bankruptcy in the United States under Chapter 11. The rejection of 42 aircraft leases was part of the company's attempt to stay solvent. In addition, 11 Boeing 767s were categorised for sale. In terms of specifics, between March 2020 and February 2021, the airline group retired six A319s. During same time, 12 A320s and eight passenger-767s were also decommissioned.

Several Airbus A319s have been retired by the airline in recent years.?

The airline has been able to make additional aircraft commitments in recent times as the impacts of the pandemic have faded. Air Lease Corporation announced long-term lease placements for three new A321neos at the beginning of June. The new Airbus A321neos will be delivered to the airline in the summer and fall of 2023.

LATAM's financials have taken a battering as a result of draconian pandemic measures imposed by South American governments over the past two years, causing it to go through a long bankruptcy procedure. However, it appears that the airline group is slowly but steadily getting over the worst of it, and will shortly emerge from this protracted stage.

LATAM has also just phased out some 767s.?

After reaching a deal with Chilean bondholders, the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors, and several other shareholders in early May, LATAM declared that it had obtained the backing of practically all of its creditors for its Plan of Reorganization. The plan involves injecting USD$8.19 billion into the company through a combination of new capital and debt. With consent from a US court just granted, things are close to being finished. Indeed, LATAM is on target to complete its Chapter 11 restructuring in the second part of 2022.

The LATAM airline group and its more than 200 planes play a critical role in linking South American countries as well as the rest of the world. Hopefully, the corporation and its airlines will be able to pick up where they left off before the pandemic in the coming years.