LATAM Brasil is expanding its footprint in the Brazil-Chile market with a new connection to the Chilean capital Santiago.

The carrier intends to launch flights between Belo Horizonte, Brazil, and Santiago from Nov. 1, offering three roundtrips per week using Airbus A320 aircraft. It will be the first time the airline has connected the destinations nonstop on a scheduled basis.

The 1,900-mi. (1,652 nm) route is expected to reduce the travel time between the cities to around 4 hr. 20 min., compared to an average of 8 hr. when flying one-stop via Sao Paulo.

Herlichy Bastos, director of operations at Belo Horizonte Airport, says the service strengthens the airport’s international offering and gives passengers the potential to connect to other destinations on LATAM Airlines Group’s network beyond Santiago, such as Melbourne and Auckland.

The latest data provided by OAG Schedules Analyser shows that the new route will become the group’s sixth between Brazil and Chile. Schedules for the northern winter 2023-24 season confirm that Santiago will be served from Curitiba Afonso Pena, Florianopolis, Porto Alegre, Rio de Janeiro Galeao and Sao Paulo Guarulhos, in addition to Belo Horizonte.

LATAM Brasil says it expects to transport more than 27,000 passengers from Chile to Belo Horizonte each year, helping to boost tourism and drive economic growth in the southeastern Brazilian city. From Belo Horizonte, the carrier already operates 58 flights per week to Sao Paulo Congonhas; 35 per week to Sao Paulo Guarulhos; 21 per week to Rio de Janeiro Santos Dumont; and 18 per week to Brasília.