LATAM has announced plans to expand its long haul flights, as the airline is beefing up its Dreamliner fleet.
LATAM orders up to 15 additional Boeing 787-9s
LATAM is purchasing up to 15 additional Boeing 787-9s, with a firm order for 10 jets, plus options for five more. With this order, the airline is expected to take delivery of two new 787s per year, starting in 2025.
The airline is already the largest Dreamliner operator in Latin America, as it currently has a total of 37 787s, split between the -8 and -9 variant. LATAM took delivery of its first 787 back in 2012. While most were acquired new, the airline also picked up some secondhand jets that first operated for Norwegian.
LATAM expects to operate a fleet of 52 Boeing 787s by 2030. The airline states that this latest order will allow it to maximize capacity on popular routes, and launch new routes, including nonstop flights to Sydney (SYD).
I’m curious how LATAM’s fleet strategy evolves
It’s interesting to consider how LATAM’s wide body fleet has evolved over time. Currently LATAM’s wide body fleet consists of Boeing 767s and Boeing 777s, in addition to the Boeing 787s mentioned above. The 777s are an average of around 14 years old, and are based in Brazil, while the 767s are an average of around 17 years old, and are based primarily in Peru and Chile.
Also keep in mind that LATAM used to fly Airbus A350s, but in 2021 the airline made the decision to retire its entire A350 fleet. These were intended to be based in Brazil, but they just turned out to be too costly for the airline. Of course since they were fairly new planes, they quickly found new homes, including at joint venture partner Delta, which also owns a stake in LATAM.
There’s something to be said for the efficiency of LATAM going primarily for one long haul aircraft type, in terms of fleet commonality, etc. I guess LATAM just hasn’t discovered that the A350-1000 is the greatest plane ever built… too bad Delta didn’t let LATAM know. 😉
Anyway, I’m curious for how long LATAM ends up flying its 767s and 777s. If there are no plans to retire existing planes, then LATAM is looking at significant growth. Then again, I have to imagine that the 767s will be retired by 2030 or so (or be converted into cargo planes), in which case many routes will simply be upgraded to larger jets. That might also explain why LATAM partly describes this order as allowing the airline to “maximize capacity on popular routes.”
Bottom line
LATAM has just ordered up to 15 additional Boeing 787-9s, with 10 of those being for firm orders. These will be delivered slowly, as two should join the fleet per year, starting in 2025. LATAM really is going all-in on the Dreamliner, after having dumped its A350s a few years back.
What do you make of LATAM ordering more Boeing 787s?
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