Chilean LATAM Airlines has announced the delivery of its first A321neo and its order of 13 additional A321neo aircraft to expand its global network.

The initial A321neo delivery, leased by Aercap, will be followed by 76 A321neo aircraft, included in the 111 A320 Family aircraft to be delivered.

The A321neo aircraft was sent to Brazil using 49% SAF, demonstrating the combined sustainability efforts across the agreement.

LATAM Airlines Group chief financial officer Ramiro Alfonsín emphasised how this agreement aligns with the company’s sustainability goals: “Our fleet renewal and modernisation strategy is fully aligned with our sustainability commitment and brings us closer to the goal of becoming a carbon neutral group by 2050.

“We will continue to work on enhancing the current fleet with next-generation aircraft to further improve our connectivity while caring for the environment.”

This partnership further extends the relationship between LATAM and Airbus, the largest across Latin America with more than 240 aircraft.

Airbus has previously expressed its commitment to the large-scale development of the SAF ecosystem, with a goal to enable 100% SAF capability by 2030.

Airbus International head and chief commercial officer Christian Scherer said: “We thank LATAM for their continued confidence in our aircraft, reselecting the A321neo for its continued network growth.

“This strategic move also accelerates the LATAM decarbonisation trajectory as the A321neos are at least 20% more fuel-efficient, emitting 20% less CO₂ and 50% less noise compared to previous generation aircraft.”

The South American airline has a degree of market dominance across the continent, as revealed by Global Data.