• Since JetSmart’s debut in the region, its flights to Antofagasta have increased by more than 26% and it has transported over 705,000 passengers since launching operations in the city.

JetSmart, the airline owned by US investment fund Indigo Partners, has announced a new base of operations in the city of Antofagasta, in addition to those it already has in Santiago and Concepción. Since JetSmart’s debut in the region, its flights to Antofagasta have increased by more than 26% and it has transported over 705,000 passengers since launching operations in the city.

JetSmart’s CEO, Eduardo Ortíz, pointed out that, in just two years of operations, “we have become the fastest-growing airline in Chile, offering more domestic and interregional routes than any other operator in the country.” He added that “with this base of operations, we already offer seven direct routes from Antofagasta to Arica, Concepción, La Serena, Temuco, Puerto Montt and Santiago as well as an international service to Lima. In this way, we have boosted local economies and the development of the regions of Chile and, with our new base of operations in Antofagasta, we will create around one hundred direct jobs for the region’s inhabitants.”

Ortíz explained that the airline already accounts for 17% of the region’s market and “we aim to reach 24% next year, putting regional aviation at the service of all with ultra-low fares.” To achieve this goal, the airline has launched three new direct routes: Antofagasta-Temuco, Antofagasta-Puerto Montt and the international Antofagasta-Lima route, with fares starting at $16,000, $19,000 and $21,300 per leg, respectively, plus boarding fees and taxes. Operations will begin on the new domestic routes in January 2020 and, on the international route, in March.

JetSmart indicated that it will have crew resident in the Antofagasta Region since all operations will begin and end at the Andrés Sabella Airport where the corresponding maintenance work will also be carried out, without having to go to Santiago. This will position the Antofagasta Region as an important hub for the development of commercial aviation, with connections to six domestic destinations around the country as well as one international destination from the Andrés Sabella Airport.

In the three years since it was founded and the two since it began operations in Chile, JetSmart has quickly positioned itself as an important player in the market. It has transported more than 4 million passengers – breaking all the records in the Chilean airline market, despite being such a young company – as well as leading punctuality rankings and offering permanently low prices. JetSmart has positioned itself as a leader in the industry, fostering interregional air travel and boosting its international expansion with flights to Peru and Argentina.

In addition, the airline recently announced the arrival of six new A320neo aircraft for incorporation into its fleet as from the second half of this year. This represents a 55% increase in its number of aircraft.

JetSMART Airlines is the ultra-low-cost South American airline, founded by Indigo Partners. It operates the newest Airbus fleet in the Americas and has operations in Chile, Argentina and Peru. JetSMART’s vision is to offer ultra-low fares throughout South America, with the clear goal of having 100 aircraft and transporting 100 million passengers by 2026.