OREANDA-NEWS. November 10, 2015. LATAM Airlines Group announces that it will have to delay the announcement of each city will host the first domestic and international hub (flight connection center) in Northeast Brazil, initially scheduled for the end of this year. The decision is due to the time of airport infrastructure development.

Airport infrastructure is one of the three deciding factors established by LATAM Airlines Group, which also include passenger experience and cost competitiveness, both of which are under analysis at this time.

The airports in all three state capitals participating in the process (Fortaleza, Natal and Recife) are discussing technical adjustments to host the hub. These discussions will depend on a series of evaluations that will involve several government levels and concessionaires in further analyzing the requirements that were presented in technical studies by the consulting firms Arup and Oxford Economics for the implementation of a hub in the Northeast region.

“Ensuring the efficiency of airport infrastructure, combined with passenger experience and cost competitiveness, is essential for the project. These criteria must be well defined and the current scenario does not offers the necessary conditions to make a decision at this moment. We will continue to evaluate all essential criteria in terms of airport infrastructure and cost competitiveness,” said Claudia Sender, CEO of TAM S/A. “We are still confident in the development of the project, which will benefit the entire Northeast region,” she added.

LATAM Group guarantees that it will continue evaluating all conditions to choose the state capital that will host the Northeast Hub. The decision could be announced in the first half of 2016. The hub initiative is still part of the Group’s investment plan.