LAN Airlines Monthly Statistics Report for March 2010

SANTIAGO, Chile, April 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- LAN Airlines S.A. ("LAN" or "the Company") (NYSE: LFL; IPSA: LAN), one of the leading airlines in Latin America, and its subsidiaries today reported its preliminary monthly traffic statistics and punctuality indicators for March 2010.

System passenger traffic for March decreased 8.2% as capacity declined 4.1%. As a result, the Company's load factor decreased 3.2 points to 72.9%. International passenger traffic accounted for approximately 70% of total passenger traffic. March 2010 traffic was affected by flight cancellations due to the shutdown of the Santiago International Airport as a result of the earthquake that affected Chile on February 27, 2010.

Domestic passenger traffic in Chile, Argentina, Peru and Ecuador fell 2.9% as capacity decreased 5.3%. As a consequence, the domestic load factor for the month increased 1.8 points to 71.8%.

International passenger traffic for March declined 10.2% as capacity decreased 3.6%. Accordingly, the international passenger load factor for the month fell 5.5 points to 73.4%. International capacity was mainly affected by flight cancellations on long haul routes from Chile to North America, as well as on regional routes due to the earthquake that affected Chile in February.  

During the month of March, cargo traffic increased 30.2%. This increase was mainly due to the continued recovery of imports to Latin America driven by Brazil, as well as increased operations to Europe with the Boeing 777-200 freighter fleet. In-line with higher demand, capacity rose 23.3%. As a result, the cargo load factor increased 3.8 points to 71.1%.

During March, 87.9% of the Company's total flights left on time based on a fifteen-minute standard (all departures leaving within fifteen minutes of the scheduled departure time are considered as "on-time"). This represented a decrease of 5.0 points compared to March 2009.

About LAN

LAN Airlines is one of the leading passenger and cargo airlines in Latin America. The company and its affiliates serve over 70 destinations around the world through an extensive network that offers full connectivity within Latin America, while also linking the region with North America, Europe and the South Pacific, as well as 63 additional international destinations through its various alliances. LAN Airlines and its affiliates have a leading position in their respective domestic markets of Chile and Peru as well as an important presence in the Argentinean domestic market and has completed its first year of operations in the domestic market of Ecuador.

Currently, LAN Airlines and its affiliates operate one of the most modern fleets in the world, with 86 passenger aircraft, and its cargo subsidiary, LAN CARGO and its respective cargo affiliates, have a fleet of 11 dedicated freighters. The company recently completed its short haul fleet renovation process by acquiring new aircraft from the Airbus A320 family, enabling LAN to improve its efficiency and to reduce significantly its CO2 emissions. The fleet renovation is part of the company's commitment to the protection of the environment.

LAN is one of the few Investment Grade airlines in the world (BBB). The company's world class quality standards enabled its membership in oneworld™, the global alliance that encompasses the best airlines in the world. For more information please visit www.lan.com or www.oneworldalliance.com

SOURCE LAN Airlines S.A.