LAN Will Resume Restricted Flight Operations at Santiago Airport

SANTIAGO, Chile, March 1 /PRNewswire/ -- LAN Airlines reports that starting tomorrow the company will resume restricted domestic and international flight operations at the Santiago airport.

The company is helping to set up a temporary tent facility at the Santiago terminal for passengers. "The situation is far from normal operations. We are working to be able to resume just 15% of our domestic and international operations," said Ignacio Cueto, LAN Airline's President and COO.

Through Thursday of this week, the priority will be the transfer to and from Santiago of those passengers who have been affected by flight cancellations. Starting on Friday of this week, operations are expected to begin getting back to normal.

The terminal has remained closed for the past couple of days, and only a few flights have been authorized to land in order to bring passengers to Chile's capital city of Santiago.

Up-to-date information about the airline's operational status is available at www.LAN.com, and will be updated online on an ongoing basis.

The company is waiving surcharges on changes of dates of travel until March 30th, 2010 for passengers who have not been able to fly due to the situation in Chile. For the most updated information passengers should continue checking www.LAN.com.

About LAN

LAN Airlines is one of the leading passenger and cargo airlines in Latin America. The company and its affiliates serve over 65 destinations around the world through an extensive network that offers full connectivity within Latin America, while also linking the region with North America, Europe and the South Pacific, as well as 63 additional international destinations through its various alliances. LAN Airlines and its affiliates have a leading position in their respective domestic markets of Chile and Peru, an important presence in the Argentinean domestic market, and recently began domestic operations in Ecuador.

Currently, LAN Airlines and its affiliates operate one of the most modern fleets in the world, with 84 passenger aircraft, and its cargo subsidiary, LAN CARGO and its respective cargo affiliates, have a fleet of 11 freighters. The company recently completed its short haul fleet renovation process by acquiring new aircraft from the Airbus A320 family, enabling LAN to improve its efficiency and to reduce significantly its CO2 emissions. The fleet renovation is part of the company's commitment to the protection of the environment.

LAN is one of the few Investment Grade airlines in the world (BBB). The company's world class quality standards enabled its membership in oneworld™, the global alliance that encompasses the best airlines in the world. For more information please visit LAN.com or www.oneworldalliance.com.

SOURCE LAN Airlines