Chicago now becomes the seventh gateway to the United States, together with Miami, Orlando, New York, Boston, Los Angeles and Huntsville.

MIAMI – LATAM Cargo, the leader in cargo transportation in Latin America, announced it has added a new destination to its network. The new direct route, which started on February 20, connects Chicago to Campinas, Brazil, cutting transit time between the cities to less than 15 hours. The new route will also connect cargo with Buenos Aires, Argentina and Santiago, Chile. Before LATAM Cargo launched this connection, it took more than two days to transport cargo from Chicago to Latin America.

LATAM Cargo freighter at Chicago
LATAM Cargo freighter at Chicago

LATAM Cargo operates more than 34 routes between the U.S. and Latin America and its global cargo network covers more than 140 destinations worldwide, with new potential routes being constantly evaluated. This is the company’s first new route of 2019. It will be serviced by the Boeing 767-300F with a capacity to carry 50 tons. Chicago now becomes the seventh gateway to the United States, together with Miami, Orlando, New York, Boston, Los Angeles and Huntsville.

“The Chicago-Campinas route will allow us to provide premium cargo service to customers by cutting transit time between both cities from more than two days to less than 15 hours. Also, due to Chicago’s strategic location, we will provide great connectivity with Asia,” said Gabriel Oliva, commercial director for North America, Europe and Asia of LATAM Cargo.

With two weekly frequencies on Wednesdays and Sundays, the Chicago-Campinas route will have the capacity to carry 100 tons per week, transporting different types of cargo that need to reach destinations across Latin America in a short time. This route has sparked great interest from clients who wish to transport many types of cargo with varying services and care options within LATAM Cargo’s extensive portfolio.

Oliva added: “Our clients trust us because of our experience and commitment to the highest of standards of service, assuring the quality of their cargo at all times.”

This destination represents an added value given that, during the last three years, the transportation of pharmaceutical products has experienced a notorious increase for the company, showing a 52% growth in said period.

On February 19, LATAM Cargo launched the Santiago-Chicago direct route with two weekly frequencies, Tuesdays and Saturdays. One of the main sectors favored by this route will be the aquaculture industry, particularly salmon, as it will expedite service by cutting down transit time by 35 hours between Santiago and Asia, improving temperature control and reducing cargo exposure.

Andrés Bianchi, CEO LATAM Cargo, added: “Chicago is a key gateway in the United States and an ideal connection point to Asia. Our new flights to and from the city provide our customers with access to key destinations and improved transit times. As the leading carrier in South America, we are committed to improving connectivity between the region and the world, while providing customers with more alternatives to reach their goals.”

Chile is the largest exporter of salmon in the region, with a steadily increasing demand from the Asian market in recent years. While in 2014, an average of 37 tons was transported between both markets each week, in 2018, this figure rose to approximately 700 tons per week on average.

“We are pleased to welcome our newest partners at O’Hare, and thank them for choosing to grow their operations from the city,” said Jamie L. Rhee, Commissioner, CDA. “Each new flight added to O’Hare enhances our leading connectivity, creating new jobs and opportunity for residents and fueling economic impact throughout our city. Supported by our continued investments in our state of the art cargo campus, we are committed to increasing access for worldwide businesses to move goods in and out of Chicago through O’Hare.”