Virgin Atlantic has announced a codeshare agreement with LATAM Airlines including transatlantic flights between London and Brazil.
The deal means LATAM’s flights from Heathrow to Sao Paulo can be booked through Virgin Atlantic, alongside connecting flights to 12 airports in Brazil, including Rio de Janeiro, Salvador and Brasilia.
LATAM passengers arriving at Heathrow can also connect on to Virgin’s onward flights through Terminal 3, including eastbound destinations such as Tel Aviv, Delhi and Hong Kong.
Juha Jarvinen, chief commercial officer at Virgin Atlantic, said: “As we recover from the pandemic, partnerships are more important than ever, and we look forward to building on the incredibly successful interline relationship we have had in place for a number of years.
“We also see opportunities beyond Brazil and look forward to expanding our relationship even further to serve destinations throughout South America including Peru and Colombia.”
Jarvinen pointed to “pent-up” demand for long-haul travel as one of the reasons for the codeshare link-up with LATAM.
“As global economies gradually recover from the impact of the pandemic, we also expect to capture demand from corporate travel heading to Sao Paulo, the commercial capital of Brazil, as well as other key business hubs in South America,” he added.
As well as LATAM’s flights from Heathrow to Sao Paulo, the codeshare covers connecting domestic flights to Rio de Janeiro, Porto Alegre, Belo Horizonte, Brasilia, Curitiba, Goiania, Recife, Salvador, Florianopolis, Fortaleza, Vitoria and Londrina.
LATAM reintroduced flights from Heathrow to Sao Paulo on 3 December 2021, after a gap of nearly a year due to Covid-19 travel restrictions.