LATAM Airlines has begun special operations for the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games, adding 150 domestic flights, as well as services such as translators at key airports, advance check-in at the Athletes’ Village, special wheelchairs and a LATAM Passenger Guide in three languages.
The carrier expects to serve around 25 percent of the public using air travel to the games. Among the international delegations arriving and departing from Rio, LATAM Brazil is planning to accommodate 15 percent of those passengers, while of the 4,500 Paralympic athletes, 30 percent are expected to travel on LATAM aircraft.
The company has invested in preparing special assistance to service the concentrated flow of passengers with disabilities on board and in airports, including platform lifts and protection equipment for the passengers’ personal wheelchairs. Additionally, LATAM Brazil has developed, in partnership with a Brazilian manufacturer, a proprietary boarding and landing wheelchair model that gives access to the aisles of any LATAM aircraft; 48 of these wheelchairs are located at the busy airports of Sao Paulo, Brasilia and Rio. Six additional aircrafts are already positioned at the busiest airports, with four Airbus A320 in Brasilia and Sao Paulo, plus two Boeings (one 767 and one 777) in Sao Paulo.
“The world’s biggest event is a logistics challenge,” states Ecuadro Costa, the airline’s services and innovation director, “and [I believe] we are ready to provide fast service to athletes, take care of all passengers, accommodate special cargo and coordinate mass departures and arrivals.” He adds that preparations have included three company exercises, as well as two in partnership with the Civil Aviation Department; further, 1,000 airport employees were specially trained for the increased and new services required for this Olympics event. For more information, visit latam.com.
