LATAM Airlines adds two Airbus A320neo aircraft to Chile and Brazil subsidiaries
LATAM receives two A320neo aircraft—one brand new for Chile and a second, pre-owned unit for Brazil—as part of its strategy to mitigate Airbus delivery delays.
LATAM Group received two Airbus A320neo aircraft on Saturday, June 7, which will join the fleets of its subsidiaries in Chile and Brazil. The additions reflect different acquisition models—one sourced directly from Airbus and the other from the secondary market—as part of the group’s strategy to navigate delays in the global production chain.
The aircraft destined for LATAM Chile, registered CC-BHJ, is a brand-new unit delivered from Airbus facilities in Toulouse, France. The aircraft made a technical stop for refueling at Fortaleza Airport (FOR) on Saturday afternoon before continuing to its final destination in Santiago de Chile (SCL), where it arrived on Sunday, June 9.
Originally, this aircraft was slated to operate for the Brazilian affiliate under the registration PR-XBY, but a strategic reassignment led to it being based in Chile.
Meanwhile, the Brazilian subsidiary strengthened its fleet with another A320neo, acquired through a different route. The aircraft, now registered PS-LHA, also stopped in Fortaleza, but originated from Sabiha Gökçen International Airport (SAW) in Istanbul, Turkey.
This A320neo was manufactured in 2019 and previously flew for Indian carrier IndiGo under the registration VT-IZO until the end of 2024. It spent several months in Turkey undergoing a full cabin reconfiguration and repainting in LATAM livery.
The acquisition of PS-LHA highlights LATAM’s tactical use of lessors to incorporate lightly used aircraft, a strategy that accelerates fleet modernization and expansion. This approach allows greater flexibility and reduces dependency on manufacturer delivery schedules, which are currently facing global delays.
According to LATAM's partner outlet Aeroin, the PS-LHA’s journey included stopovers at Sal Island (SID) in Cape Verde and in Fortaleza (FOR) before arriving on Saturday afternoon at São Carlos Airport (QSC) in São Paulo state. QSC is home to LATAM’s Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) center, where the aircraft will undergo final preparations and receive local regulatory certifications before entering commercial service on domestic routes in Brazil.
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