LATAM Airlines Profit Rises 16% to US$441M
LATAM Airlines, Chile's flagship carrier, earned US$441 million in the third quarter but cut its 2026 profit forecast as fuel costs jumped. The post LATAM Airlines Profit Rises 16% to US$441M appeared first on The Rio Times .
LATAM Airlines, a Chilean group operating across Latin America and the United States, reported a 16.3% increase in profit for the third quarter of 2026, reaching US$441 million. This surge comes despite a challenging backdrop of soaring jet fuel costs, which rose by 60.9% in the quarter. The company's shares, traded as American depositary receipts (ADRs) under the ticker LTM on the New York Stock Exchange, experienced a rise in adjusted operating income, though margins narrowed.
Adjusted EBITDA also saw a 4.7% decrease. While the airline expects an adjusted EBITDA of US$3.90 billion to US$4.05 billion for 2026, down from the previous estimate, it anticipates revenue between US$17.6 billion and US$17.8 billion. LATAM's net debt remains at US$6.37 billion, unchanged from the end of 2025. The airline's fleet totaled 390 aircraft as of September 30, 2026, with seven new deliveries and the first two Embraer E195-E2 regional jets arriving in October.
Despite the profit forecast cut and lack of extra shareholder payments, LATAM's rating has been upgraded to BB+ by S&P Global Ratings and Fitch, indicating stable outlooks.
Written by urgent.news from The Rio Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
