The new flights operated by Delta Air Lines from Rio de Janeiro arrived in Atlanta and New York on December 17, both associated with the Joint Venture Agreement with LATAM.
Flight DL60, from Rio de Janeiro to Atlanta – which will now operate year-round – took off from Antônio Carlos Jobim International Airport (GIG) at 9:15 AM on Sunday, landing at Delta’s main hub at 5:15 PM (local time). Shortly after, at 10:15 AM, flight DL244 departed from Rio to New York-JFK, landing in the U.S. city at 6:30 PM (local time). This frequency is seasonal and will be offered until February 21, 2024.
Both routes are operated by a Boeing 767-300ER aircraft, featuring four cabins: Delta One, Delta Premium Select, Delta Comfort+, and Main Cabin. These are new additions to the daily direct services that Delta already offers from São Paulo (two frequencies to Atlanta and one to New York-JFK), now totaling five daily flights between Brazil and the United States – the largest schedule ever offered by Delta in Brazil in its 26 years of operations in the country.
“We are extremely happy with the return of Delta’s direct services between Rio de Janeiro and the United States, further demonstrating the recovery of the travel sector in both countries and proving the importance of Rio as a gateway for international tourists, in addition to Delta’s focus on getting its customers to the places they most want to go,” said Danillo Barbizan, Delta’s Sales Manager – Brazil.
In the three years prior to the pandemic, the airline transported over half a million passengers between the United States and Rio de Janeiro.
DELTA-LATAM Joint Venture
In recent months, the Delta-LATAM joint venture has announced exciting expansions in its services between the United States and South America, including new routes and expanded frequencies. Among the routes already in operation thanks to the partnership are Orlando-Bogotá, Los Angeles-São Paulo, Medellín-Miami, and a second frequency Lima-Atlanta, all operated by LATAM. Additionally, Delta introduced its second daily flight between Atlanta and Bogotá. And this December, in addition to the Rio de Janeiro-Atlanta and Rio de Janeiro-New York/JFK frequencies, the partners will introduce the Atlanta-Cartagena route, which will be operated by Delta starting December 22.