Latam Airlines has begun selling tickets for the first phase of operation of the Brazilian Embraer E195-E2 aircraft, which will appear in the airline's network for the first time in the last week of November. It is planned to gradually introduce up to 14 aircraft by March 2027, when this model will provide 42 domestic routes and allow the company to enter four cities where it has not previously operated.
The first flights will launch in Cabo Frio (Rio de Janeiro state), Ji-Parana (Roraima state), Macaé (Rio de Janeiro state), and Rondonópolis (Mato Grosso state), all connected to Guarulhos. Thanks to these changes, LATAM will reach 67 destinations in Brazil, which is the most extensive domestic network in its history. Details of this plan were presented during the second-quarter reporting, and sales started on August 5.
Jerome Cadier, CEO of Latam Airlines Brasil, stated that this is only the initial stage of working with the E195-E2. He also noted that the company is considering opening another 18 new destinations in the second phase by 2027, depending on the delivery schedule from Embraer. Eight unprecedented routes are planned within this first phase.
The operation resulted from a firm order for 24 units, with an additional 50 purchase options concluded in 2025 valued at approximately 2.1 billion US dollars. The choice of Embraer was an exception, as the company's fleet almost entirely consists of Airbus and Boeing aircraft, and the E195-E2 competed with the A220. According to Cadier, the 136 seats in the Brazilian aircraft better match the distances and demand in the served cities than the Airbus option, which would offer more seats and a larger range.
In practice, the smaller aircraft allows the opening of markets that Airbus could not support. Six of the eight new routes have no direct competitor; the exceptions are the Curitiba–Londrina and Porto Alegre–Viracopos routes, where Azul already operates. The cabin is equipped with 136 seats in a 2-2 configuration, including up to 20 seats in Premium Economy class, and offers free Wi-Fi for Latam Pass customers, USB-C ports, and the LAtam Play platform.
The aircraft will also increase capacity on six existing routes. Flights between Guarulhos and Cascavel, Galeão and Curitiba, and Porto Alegre and Curitiba will receive seven additional weekly flights each, reaching 21 frequencies, which is a 50% increase. The Guarulhos–Palmas route will increase to 21 flights per week, Guarulhos–Uberlandia to 28, and Guarulhos–Uberaba to four. On the other 19 routes, including Fortaleza–Recife flights and connections from Guarulhos to Brasília, Manaus, Recife, and Vitória, the E195-E2 will only perform part of the frequencies currently served by larger aircraft.
This move is competitively significant. Since 2019, LATAM has increased the number of airports served in the country from 44 to 63, and with the new aircraft, it will reach 67, thereby advancing into the regional capitalization territory traditionally belonging to Azul. Anac data indicates the group's market share leadership both domestically and internationally since 2021, and an OAG study for the Northern Hemisphere summer season of 2026 shows 38.2% of domestic seat supply versus 32.9% for Gol and 28.8% for Azul.
