Falkland Islands and Brazil reach accord for historic commercial flight

BRASILIA – An agreement has been finalized with LATAM Airlines Brazil to introduce a second international commercial air link to the Falkland Islands with a weekly service from São Paulo/Guarulhos (with a monthly stop in Cordoba, Argentina), complementing the existing weekly flight to Santiago, Chile.

This significant achievement comes following the successful conclusion of a formal commercial process which identified LATAM as the preferred operator last year.

LATAM is Latin America´s leading airline group, serving over 140 destinations in 27 countries worldwide. The new route will allow passengers to make onward connections to multiple destinations in South and North America and Europe, and once a month it will transit in both directions via Cordoba in Argentina.

The inaugural flight has been scheduled for Wednesday 6 November 2019 with further details regarding ticket sales and itinerary to be communicated in the coming weeks.

The process of establishing the flight has followed the principles set out in the 14 July 1999 Joint Statement and Exchange of Letters, later supported through the signing of the 2016 Joint Communiqué, between Britain and Argentina where it was agreed to make further progress in establishing additional air links between the Falkland Islands and third party countries.

The Government is working in partnership with the Ministry of Defence to ensure that interim arrangements will be in place to accommodate this new flight at Mount Pleasant International Airport in November. Plans for a new permanent terminal development are being progressed.

Speaking of this historic event, MLA Barry Elsby, Portfolio Lead said: “We have made no secret of our determination to build better air links between the Falkland Islands and the rest of the world, and I am certain that this latest development will be successful.

“This new flight, together with our plans for a new port and air terminal, will support long term economic growth in the islands and will result in significant growth for our tourist industry in particular.”–MercoPress