Roberto Alvo, the CEO of LATAM, the largest airline group in Latin America, granted AeroTime an exclusive interview on the sidelines of the IATA World Sustainability Symposium, which took place in Madrid, Spain, on October 3-4, 2023.
Alvo discussed the general trends in the air travel market, in the airline’s core markets and outlined also some of the most significant developments at LATAM.
The airline’s growth in the United States market, where it enjoys a close partnership with Delta Airlines, the ongoing fleet renewal plan involving the arrival of up to 76 new Airbus neo aircraft (the first of which was delivered on October 1, 2023), and the carrier’s plans for the A321XLR, which it has on order, were among the key points Alvo addressed.
Given that the interview took place within the framework of IATA’s World Sustainability Symposium, a significant part of the conversation was devoted to the matter of sustainability.
Alvo pointed out the difficulties in sourcing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in the Latin American region, where there is currently almost no production capacity, despite the availability technology and of different types of feedstock.
Nevertheless, LATAM is engaging in a number of environmental and social initiatives that aim to mitigate the environmental impact of its operations. In this regard, Alvo explained how the airline has chosen to get directly involved in offsetting projects by investing in the restoration and protection of large tracts of environmentally valuable natural habitats in Colombia, which can act as a carbon sink.
You can watch the video of the interview here.