Delta Air Lines and LATAM Airlines have increased their combined capacity between North and South America by approximately 31% since 2023, four years after launching their joint venture.
The two carriers said they operated 83,000 flights and carried 17.4 million passengers between October 2022 and July 2026. Over the period, they offered 20.8 million seats across markets covered by the agreement.
The joint network currently comprises 28 routes. Among services added during its expansion are São Paulo-Los Angeles, Bogotá-Orlando, Guayaquil-New York, Buenos Aires-Miami, Atlanta-Cartagena, Rio de Janeiro-New York and Lima-Salt Lake City.
Growth has varied considerably across South America. Ecuador recorded the largest increase among markets that were already part of the agreement in 2023, with combined capacity up 64% in 2026. Brazil followed with nearly 33%, while Peru grew 25%. Capacity in Colombia and Chile increased by approximately 10%.
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Argentina, which joined the joint venture in 2025, recorded a nearly 47% increase in combined capacity this year compared with 2025. Its later inclusion means the figure is not directly comparable with the three-year changes reported for the other markets.
The agreement now covers flights linking the United States and Canada with Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay.
Joint venture allows deeper coordination
The arrangement goes considerably further than a conventional codeshare. Antitrust immunity granted by the U.S. Department of Transportation allows Delta and LATAM to coordinate areas including schedules, capacity, marketing and revenue sharing on services covered by the agreement.
The DOT approved the joint venture in September 2022 for an initial 10-year period. Ecuador was added in January 2024 and Argentina in February 2025. The airlines are required to provide the department with passenger traffic data and confidential annual progress reports.
Delta and LATAM have also expanded cooperation outside passenger services. This year, Delta TechOps and LATAM Airlines Brasil reached a separate agreement covering Airbus A320-family component maintenance and repair at LATAM's facility in São Carlos, Brazil.
Different outcome for Delta in Mexico
Delta's other major joint venture in Latin America has faced a much more difficult regulatory environment. In September 2025, the DOT withdrew antitrust immunity from Delta's partnership with Aeromexico and ordered the carriers to end activities that depended on that immunity, including coordinated pricing, capacity management and revenue sharing.
The department's objections were tied largely to conditions in the Mexican aviation market rather than to joint ventures themselves. U.S. regulators cited measures taken by the Mexican government at Mexico City International Airport, including slot and capacity restrictions, which the DOT said distorted competition and disadvantaged other U.S. airlines while Delta and Aeromexico continued to coordinate their operations.
The decision did not stand, however. In August 2026, a U.S. federal appeals court overturned the DOT order after finding that the department had not adequately justified its approach to the competitive analysis. The ruling preserved the Delta-Aeromexico partnership and its antitrust immunity.
