Alex Young

Lan-Chile, headquartered in Santiago, Chile， is the largest airline in Latin America and was Chile's flag carrier until the Chilean government privatized it in the 1990s.

 

The airline was founded by a Chilean Air Force General, Merino Benitez, and began its operations in March 1929. The company was named Linea Aeropostal Santiago-Arica(English: Postal Air Line Santiago-Arica), and the Chilean government controlled it.

 

In 1932, The company was rebranded as Linea Aerea Nacional de Chile (English: National Air Line of Chile), using the acronym LAN Chile as its commercial name. 

 

In 1938, LAN signed an agreement with Lufthansa for flights to and from Europe and America's Atlantic coast.

 

In August 1945, LAN-Chile became a member of the newly formed IATA.

 

In December 1956, a LAN DC-6B made the world's first commercial flight over Antarctica. As a commemoration, LAN painted The slogan Primeros Sobre la Antartica ("The first over Antarctica") on all of its DC-6's fuselage.

 

LAN-Chile entered the jet age in 1963 and bought the first Boeing 707 in its fleet from Lufthansa in 1966 to launch long-haul transatlantic services.

 

In 1980, LAN's first wide-body jet entered service. The dc-10-30s was used for routes to the United States.

 

In September 1989, the Chilean government privatized LAN-Chile; since then, the Cueto family has become the main shareholder in the company.

 

In August 1995, Lan acquired Ladeco, Chile's second-largest airline.

 

In 1998, LAN-Chile merged its cargo subsidiary with ladeco and formed LAN Express.

 

In 2004, LAN-Chile changed its formal name to LAN Airlines, which was said to mean Latin American Network Airlines.

 

In August 2010, LAN Airlines and TAM Linhas Aereas Airlines declared a merger, forming the new LATAM Airlines Group.

 

With the process completed in June 2012, the brand new LATAM Airlines has replaced LAN Chile and become the largest airline company in Latin America until today.