TravTalk India Online Magazine
LATAM Airlines is deeply involved in the India market and is making strong efforts to engage with the travel trade here to promote the airline and South America, which is an upcoming destination for Indian travellers.
Hazel Jain
Eduardo Patta, Sales Manager Asia, LATAM Airlines Group, was in India recently to meet the travel trade and showcase the airline and its network in South America. InterGlobe Air Transport, GSA for LATAM Airlines Group in India, organised a B2B workshop in New Delhi and Mumbai. Patta said, “In the near future, we plan to replicate this in other cities, as well as in tier cities in India, as it is important to reach the agents from these cities as well. I can see a lot of potential there.”
Mariana Tagwerker, Sales Executive-Asia, LATAM Airlines Group, was also present at the events.
Interline partners key
The primary objective of these workshops was to showcase LATAM’s wide-ranging product offerings, the extensive route network, and the unparalleled connectivity from India to South America. One of the key aspects emphasized during the workshops was LATAM Airlines’ strategic use of interline partners. This approach allows passengers to easily reach LATAM’s gateways in Europe and the USA, connecting them to various destinations across Latin America.
Patta added, “We are very active in the India market despite being an offline product. We have an extensive offering, and we fly to more than 144 destinations. From India, we fly with our interline partners to London, Frankfurt, and Paris and onwards on LATAM Airlines to connect to all South America via Sao Paulo. From 2 December 2023, we are launching direct flights from London to Lima.”
Corporate and leisure traffic
The airline sees a lot of corporate and leisure traffic from India. “Leisure is a segment that is growing, and people are showing interest in visiting south America; we see honeymooners and the young travellers. We are also hoping to announce a new codeshare from India to one of our gateways in Europe that will be very useful for our guests from India, especially Delhi and Mumbai. We are just waiting for the approvals for this to come in,” Patta revealed.
The Embassy of Peru played a pivotal role in the success of the two-city workshops, actively participating in the event and promoting Peru as a popular destination for Indian travellers. Furthermore, they highlighted the seamless connectivity LATAM Airlines Group offers to travellers planning to visit South America from India.
