LATAM Airlines reports preliminary December traffic, system traffic up 10%

LATAM Airlines Group S.A. and its subsidiaries reported preliminary monthly traffic statistics for December 2012 compared to December 2011. System passenger traffic increased 10% as capacity rose 7.4%. The company's load factor for the month increased 1.8 points to 78.2%. International passenger traffic accounted for approximately 50% of the month's total passenger traffic. Domestic passenger traffic in LATAM Airlines Group's Spanish speaking operations, including Chile, Argentina, Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia, rose 10.6%, as capacity increased 11.6%. The domestic passenger load factor decreased 0.7 points to 78.1%. Domestic passenger traffic in Brazil rose 10.5%, as capacity decreased 3.7%. The domestic Brazil passenger load factor increased 10.5 points to 81.9%. International passenger traffic rose 9.6%, while capacity increased 15.0%. Accordingly, the international passenger load factor for the month decreased 3.7 points to 75.7%.