LATAM is expanding its service to the Falkland Islands with new widebody service from São Paulo, Brazil starting next month.
The seasonal service will run from Brazil’s largest city to Mount Pleasant, the Royal Air Force base that serves as the main airport for the British Overseas Territory. Service beings on November 20, 2019 and will run each Wednesday until March 25, 2020.
Each week, the service will depart São Paulo in the morning and return from Mount Pleasant in the late afternoon.
Sao Paulo Guarulhos – Mount Pleasant
LA8210 // dep GRU 9:30AM arr MPN 2:35PM // 767-300 // Wednesday
LA8211 // dep MPN 4:50PM arr GRU 9:35PM // 767-300 // Wednesday
Once a month, the flight will make a stop in Cordoba, Argentina. The flight will be operated by a 767-300 featuring lie-flat seats in business class.
The Falkland Islands Government celebrated the news, stating:
This exciting new air link will also bring significant commercial benefits to the Falkland Islands including an estimated increase in economic activity of over £2m annually as well as encourage growth in tourist, retail and hospitality sectors. It also represents the fulfilment of one of the key commitments of The Islands Plan 2018-2022 – the Legislative Assembly’s blueprint for building a prosperous, productive and positive future for the nation – which is to strengthen the Falkland Islands’ connections to the outside world.
CONCLUSION
I am very excited about this new route, because I have been wanting to visit the Falklands for years. With this new route, it will be possible to stay a few days, since the LATAM flight will depart São Paulo on Wednesday but rather than stay a week, I can hop on the weekly Saturday service to Santiago, Chile in the other direction, allowing for a pleasant stay of three days.
Do you have any interest in visiting the Falkland Islands?
image: LATAM
Seriously, don’t stay for just three days. We had one week and the plan was really tight.
You’ll already need one day to get to the smaller islands (or pay a whooping 500$ oneway to get there same day + risk missing the connection).
The Falklands itself are amazing, but one week is barely enough.
I’m thinking more about my own time constraints due to the business, though I think a week would be fabulous there.
Internet connection really is unusable outside of Stanley, so I understand those concerns. 3 days is still better than nothing of course, but I can’t recommend tohse islands enough.
Seriously, don’t stay for just three days. We had one week and the plan was really tight.
You’ll already need one day to get to the smaller islands and another one back (or pay a whooping 500$ oneway to get there same day + risk missing the connection in bad weather conditions).
The Falklands itself are amazing, but one week is barely enough.
Now that my AA miles do not work on LATAM, they now fly to the Falklands. I guess I need to get some DL miles.
Seeing the wildlife on Falklands would be great.
Once a month, the flight will make a stop in Cordoba, Argentina.
Is this right? Seems a bit out the way and I didn’t think Argentina allowed flights between the two?
It will. Click on first link (Routes Online) for schedule. There’s also another flight from Argentina already operating.
Very interesting. Good article
Have you noticed that on the LATAM website, on the route maps, this little flight appears as lines, but the Falklands or their airport are not named (blank)? Interesting conundrum for the airline.
Anyway, thank you for this tip. Wonderful news.
Did the Falklands trip about 20 years ago. Flew a MOD operated L-1011 from RAF Brize Norton via Ascension Island. When I booked the trip, it was supposed to be a VC-10, which would have been exciting, but the L-1011 was a fine alternative. Let me just say that seat pitch was better than today’s premium economy. LOL
Lucky you! I considered doing that L1011 fight several years ago and ultimately did not. Would have been fun.
I’m somewhat surprised that the flight from Brazil to the Falkland Islands will sometimes stop in Cordoba, Argentina. I believe that Argentina still claims the Falklands, which they call las islas malvinas.
I won’t be surprised if the new nationalist Argentine president, when he (or perhaps she) takes office, cancels that agreement.
If Argentina wants it back, it may be better to increase, not decrease links to Argentina. Even more to the plan if Argentine citizens could eventually live there. In time, they might be the majority then vote to join Argentina.
You are correct. Right now the majority clearly want to remain part of Great Britain.
Wow, how cool. The islands have been of interest since watching scenes of war back in the 1980s…
Malvinas….
I’ve tried to visit a couple of times but using the RAF service from the UK but I’ve never been able to get on it on dates I wanted.
I’ll certainly give the Latam service a go but next northern winter rather than this one.