Qatar Airways has expanded its codeshare agreement with LATAM Airlines Brazil, placing its code on an additional 45 flights operated by the South American carrier.

The two airlines’ strategic partnership was first launched in 2016 and recently expanded in 2019.

The enhanced agreement will allow Qatar Airways passengers to access over 40 domestic and international destinations on LATAM Airline Brazil’s network, including Brasilia, Curitiba, Porto Velho, Rio Branco, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Jose, Lima (Peru), Montevideo (Uruguay) and Santiago (Chile).

Meanwhile, the South American carrier will add its code on Qatar Airways’ recently expanded ten weekly flights to and from Sao Paulo, operated by an A350-1000 fitted with the business class Qsuite product.

LATAM Airlines Brazil passengers will also be able to book travel to eight additional Qatar Airways destinations including the Maldives, Nairobi, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Seoul and Tokyo – the last four are subject to regulatory approval.

Frequent fliers with both airlines are able to earn and redeem miles for travel across both networks, and will also see their tier status recognised at select airports – this will enable them to receive benefits including priority check-in and boarding.

Commenting on the news Qatar Airways’ CEO Akbar Al Baker said:

“South America is a strategically important market for Qatar Airways. We are proud to demonstrate our strong commitment to passengers travelling to and from South America by providing even more flexible travel options. By increasing São Paulo services to 10 weekly flights and expanding our codeshare agreement with LATAM Airlines Brazil, we will further cement our position as the airline of choice for customers travelling between Asia, the Middle East and South America.

“Since 2016, both Qatar Airways and LATAM Airlines Brazil have witnessed the significant mutual benefits commercial cooperation have brought, providing our passengers with unrivalled service and seamless connectivity and it is why our codeshare cooperation has been expanded twice in recent years. We look forward to further strengthening our commercial cooperation with LATAM Airlines Brazil to enhance the travel experience for our millions of customers.”

The South American carrier’s CEO Jerome Cadier added:

“We are expanding connectivity and the choice of destinations for our customers. Even in a year as difficult as 2020, we are committed to offering our passengers more options to travel further with greater convenience and simplicity.”

The Gulf carrier also launched a new codeshare agreement with China Southern Airlines last month, along with the first phase of a strategic partnership with American Airlines last year.

Following the coronavirus pandemic, Qatar Airways has rebuilt its network to over 110 destinations and aims to reach 129 locations by the end of March.

qatarairways.com; latam.com