LATAM, the largest airline in Latin America, will restart nonstop flights between Lima, Peru and Montego Bay, Jamaica on December 1 this year.

The announcement follows a successful tourism sales mission in South America last summer, led by Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett and Jamaica Tourist Board officials, the Ministry of Tourism stated in a press release on Sunday.

“We are excited about this new LATAM Airlines route, which reaffirms our commitment to improving connectivity and tourism growth in this key region. This initiative marks a pivotal moment for Jamaica as we expand our presence in the Latin American market, which will generate an increase in tourist arrivals and revenue for the Jamaican economy,” Bartlett said.

The flights will be operated three times per week, utilising Airbus A319 and A320 aircraft, with capacity for 144 and 174 seats, respectively. The flights connect Montego Bay’s Sangster International Airport to Jorge Chávez International Airport in Lima, Peru, and will be scheduled to facilitate easy connections with Peru’s national network, as well as with multiple countries in South America including Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay, the release stated.

Last summer, Bartlett, Senior Advisor and Strategist Delano Seiveright, JTB Head Donovan White and other officials led engagements with hundreds of Latin American travel trade partners in Argentina, Chile and Peru.

The airline had operated services with Jamaica for several weeks in December 2019, January and February 2020 but was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.