LATAM Airlines Increases Flights to Rapa Nui in Response to Tourism Reopening

The Mataveri International Airport (IPC) in Rapa Nui, in the Pacific, is one of LATAM Airlines Group’s most distinctive destinations. The airline with its base in Chile will launch six weekly trips to the island on August 1 using its fleet of Boeing 787s.

Connecting Rapa Nui More Frequently
Almost all of Rapa Nui’s connectivity to Chile’s mainland was destroyed as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. Arturo Merino Bentez International (SCL) and Mataveri International are now only connected by four weekly flights, according to statistics from Cirium. There were 12 flights from Santiago de Chile and one more from Papeete (PPT) per week in July 2019 at the Rapa Nui airport. LATAM Airlines has run all flights and will continue to do so.

In fact, until LATAM started flying to IPC again in August 2022, all flights to Rapa Nui were halted.

Theoretically, either JetSMART or Sky Airline’s Airbus A320-based fleet could travel the 2,336 miles (3,759 km) between Santiago de Chile and Rapa Nui. Nevertheless, neither of these two ultra-low-cost airlines has expressed interest in operating flights to Easter Island.

Increased Connectivity
LATAM is seeking to introduce additional services to IPC soon, even if its connectivity to Rapa Nui is still below pre-pandemic traffic levels. The airline announced on Tuesday an increase in the frequency of weekly flights to this island.

LATAM will start running six weekly flights to the island on 1st August. On Mondays, Fridays, and Sundays, these services will be offered. Flights LA 841 and LA 843 depart Santiago, Chile, at 8:35 and 10:40, respectively. At 12:05 and 14:10 local time, they will touch down in Rapa Nui. Leaving Rapa Nui at 14:30 and 16:05, respectively, the return services LA 842 and LA 844 will arrive in Santiago at 21:05 and 22:40, local time, respectively.

The Boeing 787 fleet of LATAM is used for these flights.

The decision to increase capacity, according to LATAM, was made in response to coordinated efforts by the public and private sectors to support the reopening of tourism, the relaxation of sanitary regulations on the island, and the advancement of the runway maintenance work at the nearby airport.

Director of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability for LATAM Airlines Group, Juan José Tohá, stated, “We are very pleased to be able to announce this news, especially to the Rapa Nui community, who have made us feel the urgency of taking care of this air bridge with the Island, and thus continue to support its tourist vocation and promote economic reactivation for its inhabitants.”

The opening of Rapa Nui last year, according to the mayor of Easter Island, Pedro Edmunds Paoa, followed 870 days of captivity. He continued by saying that LATAM and the local administration worked together to ensure a safe reopening.

“We have been evaluating the conditions, especially the runway maintenance work. The good news is that today, together with LATAM, we can announce this increase of flights for the month of August and then gradually see if we can increase them as much as possible.”