LATAM’s flexible freighter routing keeps trans-Atlantic cargo moving

A flexible, but reliable network using a variety of trans-Atlantic freighter routes has been key to navigating a turbulent airfreight market, Jorge Carretero, sales director for Central Europe at LATAM Cargo, told Cargo Facts . Developing multiple freighter destinations on trans-Atlantic routes over the past several years has been a priority for LATAM Cargo, which historically relied on Santiago, Chile (SCL), and Viracopos, Brazil (VCP), Carretero said. [caption id="attachment_57298088" align="aligncenter" width="2048"] LATAM Cargo operates multiple 767-300F flights to and from Brussels. (Courtesy/Brussels Airport)[/caption] E-commerce shipments from Asia to South America — especially Brazil — via Europe are a key driver of freighter demand, Carretero said. Automotive parts exported from Europe are another leading cargo type on trans-Atlantic routes, he said. Within Europe, LATAM Cargo operates out of two hubs: Brussels (BRU) and Frankfurt, Germany (FRA). Reliance on a single hub would be too risky, Carretero said. BRU has an average of fourteen weekly freighter flights to South America, most of which are operated with 767-300Fs, Dimitri Bettoni, head of cargo product and network development at BRU, told Cargo Facts. The cargo mix is diverse in both directions, Bettoni said. Imports tend to be made up of perishables, while exports contain high volumes of pharmaceuticals and life sciences cargo. Targeting the automotive market is one reason LATAM Cargo has built two hubs into its trans-Atlantic cargo strategy, Carretero said. Because hubs on both continents can be congested, giving customers the flexibility to book capacity on LATAM Cargo’s parallel bellyhold capacity and dedicated freighter networks has helped ensure shipments arrive on time, he said. The same logic applies to pharmaceutical shipments, which have made up as much as 30% of the load mix on some trans-Atlantic flights, Carretero added. Over the past several years, the carrier has added a twice-weekly route to Montevideo (MVD), increased frequencies on its route into Curitiba (CWB) to twice a week and added flights to Lima (LIM), Sao Jose dos Campos (SJK) and Florianopolis (FLN), Carretero told Cargo Facts . As of this month, LATAM Cargo operates a total of fourteen weekly frequencies out of Europe into South America. Its fleet consists of nineteen 767-300 freighters. While many of these flights are not point to point, they are direct, Carretero said. Flying freighters out of Europe to the extent that LATAM Cargo does would not be possible without the imports, Carretero said. Capacity to South America is constrained, which causes yields to rise, he said, ensuring markets remain robust even amid high rates. Cargo Facts Symposium 2026, the premier event for the freighter aircraft and air cargo industries, will take place in Nashville, Tenn., on Oct. 21-23. Find out more and register by Sept. 4 to take advantage of early-bird pricing.

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