Emirates SkyCargo, LATAM launch new South American routes

Two airlines are kicking off the year with new cargo routes in Latin America – this week, LATAM and Emirates SkyCargo announcing new services connecting their respective hubs to new destinations in the region.

LATAM’s new route will link Santiago (SCL) to Chicago (ORD) starting on Feb. 19, addressing the growing demand for South American food exports in Asia. The carrier said it will provide more than 1,500 square feet of cool-chain facilities in Chicago, and ultimately plans to increase its weekly capacity between the regions. It transported an average of 700 tonnes of salmon per week between along the trade lane in 2018, compared to the average of 37 tonnes per week five years ago.

The return route will stop in Chicago and Miami (MIA), catering to customers in the Midwestern U.S., for which it said will reduce transit time to Latin America “by up to three days.”

Next week, Emirates SkyCargo will launch a weekly 777 freighter service from Dubai (DXB) to Bogotá (BOG) in partnership with Avianca. The two carriers said they are “working on developing a deeper partnership,” in which both aim to expand further into each other’s geographic networks. Emirates SkyCargo called South America one of its “main focus regions.” At present, it services Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, Santiago, Viracopos and Quito.

Colombia-based Avianca said it plans to benefit from the partnership by marketing the capacity to its trans-Atlantic customers on the return leg, which will run from Bogotá to Maastricht, in the Netherlands.

According to IATA’s latest report, Latin America was one of the world’s fastest-growing economies during the month of November, in terms of demand for air freight to and from the region – beating out Asia-Pacific, Europe and the Middle East. Carriers have attributed the uptick to a developing consumer demand in Asia and Europe for fresh perishables from South America, such as fruit and fresh fish.