LATAM Airlines has risen to become the leading carrier in South America, transporting 87.4 million passengers in 2025. Total operating revenues also increased 11.2% year on year between 2024 and 2025, and the airline recently announced investments in its premium offering and onboard WiFi to capitalise on rising traffic.

Roberto Alvo, CEO of the LATAM Group, sat down with us at Aviation Festival Americas to discuss the airline’s strategic development and targets for growth. Despite the successes of recent years, Alvo believes LATAM could still grow in many ways. South America is a poorly connected continent, while economic development and international tourism continues to fuel demand for air travel.

Key to driving growth is driving greater harmony between the onboard experience and the airline’s digital presence, what Alvo calls the ‘hardware’ and the ‘software’. LATAM’s widebody aircraft are undergoing extensive revamps, launching next year with a new premium economy class and inflight WiFi. This premiumisation push reflects the greater purchasing power of South American customers, as well as the evolving preferences of inbound international travellers.

I don’t think that we were delivering [a good premium experience] five or six years ago, and and therefore I don’t think that people were really ready to pay for that in our delivery. Today, it is a different story. And South America is a big geography with huge potential.

On the ‘software’ side, Alvo is keen to explore solutions that truly deliver on passenger feedback. In the future, he predicts a truly seamless travel world where customers hardly interact with the airline until they step on the plane. As agentic commerce becomes commonplace, Alvo believes the carriers that will get ahead in this environment are the ones who consistently deliver a reliable experience, both in their technology and their face-to-face interactions.

Trust for me is a key word. If you can use technology to provide trust in your brand, those are the airlines that are going to win.

Nevertheless, growth across these fields must go hand-in-hand with sustainability. Alvo says LATAM has an ‘obligation’ to help the communities it brings together, whether that’s through dedicated social programmes or investing in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). LATAM has committed to 5% SAF use by 2030, and the carrier’s cargo arm as and onboard hospitality have both won awards for their ESG credentials.

Alvo notes that production of SAF is a problem, despite favourable conditions in several South American countries. Although no SAF has been produced on the continent yet, the airline remains committed to its target and investing in sustainable initiatives through other means.

We believe that it is our responsibility as an airline to try to take care of the environment.

🎥 Watch the video to get the full interview with Roberto Alvo.

Questions asked include:

  • LATAM have grown to become South America’s leading airline. What kind of philosophy is shaping your growth moving forward?
  • When it comes to balancing this growth with ESG, how is LATAM progressing in this area and what targets would you like to achieve to become more sustainable
  • You recently invested in onboard WiFi and a revamped business class. Where are you looking to next to keep the onboard experience in line with passenger expectations?
  • When it comes to tech, how would you define LATAM’s strategy?

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