New route connects Sao Paulo with Northeast Brazil:

LAN CARGO's affiliate in Brazil consolidates leadership in brazilian domestic market.

Santiago, June 17th, 2010

Recently LAN CARGO's affiliate in Brazil, ABSA –Aerolinhas Brasileiras S.A-, introduced new flights between the cities of Sao Paulo, Recife and Fortaleza.  The addition of these new routes creates a total of five weekly connections between this rapidly growing region in the northeastern part of Brazil and the largest city in Latin America, Sao Paulo.

By launching these new routes to Recife and Fortaleza, ABSA consolidates its leadership in the Brazilian domestic market by serving the second most important cargo traffic route after Sao Paulo and Manaos.  Two modern Boeing 767-300 cargo aircraft operate daily between the above mentioned  destinations, which means that ABSA handles almost half of the cargo volume generated on this route.

LAN CARGO and its Brazilian affiliate also lead the international markets, connecting the country with the United States and Europe.  Jointly, they offer nonstop flights from Miami to nine Brazilian cities, including: Viracopos, Manaos, Vitoria, Porto Alegre, Río de Janeiro, Curitiba, Belo Horizonte, Cabo Frío and Sao Paulo. LAN CARGO, in turn, operates nonstop flights from Frankfurt (Germany) and Amsterdam (Netherlands) to Sao Paulo in the new Boeing 777F.  LAN CARGO is the sole airline in the region operating the Boeing 777F, the most efficient, and modern cargo aircraft in the world.

The fact that one out of every 4 tons of cargo transported by LAN CARGO or ABSA originates from, or is destined for Brazil, shows the growing relevance of that country.

"The  investments allow LAN CARGO and ABSA to provide the import and export clients the best service and coverage network.  In turn, the companies have become the main cargo operators for Brazil, contributing to the economic expansion and growing trade volume that this nation is undergoing," says Cristián Ureta, CEO, LAN CARGO.

Most of Brazil’s domestic cargo consists of perishable items, such as fish and fruit, as well as spare automobile parts, electronic equipment and pharmaceuticals.

Cargo traffic figures

LAN CARGO’s cargo traffic has experienced a continuous growth since November of last year.  In May of 2010 there was a 39.3% increase with respect to the same period in 2009, mainly due to the recovery of the Latin American import markets driven by Brazil, as well as the addition of flights to Europe with the Boeing 777-200F fleet.

Press contact:
Lorena Monsalves
Phone: 56-2 5653975
Fax: 56-2 5658810
Email:Lorena.monsalves@lan.com