▶ LATAM Airlines Brazil Prepares Curitiba, Brasilia, and Guarulhos Bases for Embraer E195-E2 Fleet Maintenance

LATAM Airlines Brazil is deploying a specialized technical support network ahead of the arrival of its new fleet of Embraer E195-E2 aircraft. The line maintenance bases at Curitiba, Brasilia, and São Paulo/Guarulhos will oversee scheduled maintenance for the new type, with preparations set to be finalized by October 2026 ahead of the commercial flight launch scheduled for November.

Combined, the three facilities will offer an operational capacity to handle up to 49 scheduled maintenance checks per week, supported by a dedicated team of 127 mechanics assigned exclusively to the new narrowbody aircraft. Preparations, which began in January of this year, have involved hiring and both theoretical and practical training for personnel, facility upgrades, and the procurement of E195-E2-specific tooling and ground support equipment.

“Adding a new aircraft type requires preparation that begins many months before the first revenue flight. Since January, we have been progressing with technician training, facility adaptations, and the acquisition of specialized tools and equipment. We will reach the commercial launch of the E195-E2 in November with a maintenance infrastructure ready to support this next phase of our operations in Brazil,” said Alexandre Peronti, Director of Maintenance at LATAM Airlines Brazil.

Curitiba to Serve as Primary Maintenance Hub for the E195-E2

Curitiba will host the largest infrastructure dedicated to Embraer’s newest jetliner. In the capital of Paraná state, the airline will be able to handle up to three aircraft simultaneously during overnight remain-over-night (RON) stops, completing up to 21 maintenance checks weekly. To sustain this volume, LATAM is expanding and modernizing its local facilities by constructing a new maintenance workshop, upgrading specialized tooling hardware and storehouse facilities, and investing in new ground handling equipment.

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This operation complements the airport’s existing capabilities, which currently handles an average of three Airbus A320 family aircraft per night for preventive maintenance, featuring an installed capacity to service up to six aircraft simultaneously.

Meanwhile, São Paulo/Guarulhos—the airline’s largest maintenance base in the country—will adapt its operational processes to integrate the E195-E2 alongside its existing workload, which includes single-aisle and widebody aircraft such as the Airbus A319, A320, and A321, as well as the Boeing 767, 777, and 787. Guarulhos will have a dedicated capacity for 21 scheduled E195-E2 checks per week.

Additionally, Brasilia International Airport, which already functions as a preventive maintenance center for the A320 family, will be capable of executing up to seven weekly maintenance checks for the Embraer fleet.

Technical Support for Domestic and Regional Network Expansion

The technical alignment of these line maintenance bases directly responds to the growth of LATAM’s connectivity and operations in Brazil throughout 2025:

São Paulo/Guarulhos: Logged 116,500 domestic flights and offered more than 22.4 million seats across 53 routes, marking an approximate 9% increase in flights and a 10% increase in seat capacity compared to 2024.
Brasilia: Recorded over 56,600 flights and 10.1 million seats across 36 domestic routes, representing a 12% rise in flight frequencies and an 11% increase in available seats year-over-year.
Curitiba: Registered 14,300 flights and 2.64 million seats across six domestic routes, posting growth of 12% and 14%, respectively.

In the state of Paraná, the carrier operates across five airports: Curitiba, Foz do Iguaçu, Londrina, Maringá, and Cascavel. Over the past two years, regional and international connectivity from the state expanded with the launch of the Curitiba–Lima route in October 2024 (three weekly flights offering over 50,000 annual seats), alongside second-half 2025 launches including Curitiba–Rio de Janeiro/Galeão (14 weekly frequencies) and Foz do Iguaçu–Brasília (seven weekly flights).

Fleet Deployment and New Market Entry

The gradual delivery of the Embraer E195-E2 fleet will bring increased operational flexibility to LATAM’s network, enabling the airline to combine capacity additions with entry into secondary regional markets.

During the initial phase of E2-operated flights, the route network will be structured as follows:

From São Paulo/Guarulhos: New service will launch to Rondonópolis, Ji-Paraná, Cabo Frio, and Macaé. Concurrently, capacity will be expanded to Palmas, Uberlândia, Cascavel, and Uberaba.
From Brasilia: A new direct connection to Ribeirão Preto will be added.
From Curitiba: Nonstop flights will be introduced to Londrina and Cuiabá, alongside frequency increases on existing routes to Rio de Janeiro/Galeão and Porto Alegre.

With technical infrastructure primed across all three operational bases, LATAM aims to align fleet arrivals with the MRO capabilities required to uphold dispatch reliability, safety, and operational efficiency across its Brazilian domestic network.