LATAM Expands Daily Flights Between South America and Australia
Santiago–Sydney and Santiago–Melbourne routes to operate daily from November and December, respectively, boosting transpacific connectivity.
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LATAM Airlines is expanding its connectivity between South America and Oceania by increasing flight frequencies from Santiago de Chile to Australia. Starting in November, the airline will upgrade its Sydney route from three to seven weekly flights, and in December, it will do the same for Melbourne, achieving daily service on both routes.
According to LATAM, the expanded schedule will be in effect through March 2026, enabling the airline to transport up to 150,000 passengers during the period. The flights will be operated using Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 aircraft, configured with up to 300 seats, including 30 in premium business and 270 in economy.
For the Sydney route, LATAM expects to carry around 4,100 passengers per week, covering the intercontinental journey in under 15 hours.
“Daily flights between Chile and Australia will allow us to move around 150,000 passengers during this period, enabling fast and safe connectivity between both continents,” said María Paz Villasante, LATAM’s Head of Commercial Strategy.
The Melbourne service, which will also operate daily from December, remains a nonstop route—a key distinction LATAM highlights as a milestone for regional aviation.
These schedule changes will also affect the airline’s service to Auckland, which will be reduced from six to four flights per week, as two of those flights currently continue on to Sydney. This change marks the end of LATAM’s presence in the Tasman Sea corridor, historically linking New Zealand and Australia.
Following the exits of Aerolíneas Argentinas in 2014 and Air New Zealand in 2020, LATAM has become the leading airline connecting South America and Oceania. Its only direct competitor in the region is Qantas, which currently flies four times a week between Sydney and Santiago—a frequency set to increase to daily during the Southern Hemisphere winter.
Broader Growth
LATAM also reported that in May 2025, its consolidated capacity—measured in available seat kilometers (ASK)—grew by 7.2% compared to May 2024. This growth was primarily driven by a 13% increase in domestic capacity in Brazil. Passenger traffic rose 9.6%, with a load factor of 83.1%, up 1.8 percentage points year-over-year.
LATAM currently operates flights to 153 destinations in 27 countries across the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Oceania.
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