LATAM Airlines Group expects to have its new branding on its entire fleet in 2018.

The carrier, which unveiled a new logo today in Sao Paulo, says it will repaint its fleet of more than 300 aircraft as and when they are due for maintenance.

“We are doing it in an intelligent way,” says LATAM chief marketing officer Jerome Cadier, adding that the airline wants to minimise taking aircraft out of service for the paint job.

LATAM’s new logo is primarily in indigo and coral, with the airline’s name presented in bold white letters. The carrier says the choice of indigo “falls between red and blue” - the main colours of TAM and LAN. Coral, the second colour, is a symbol of “energy and passion”, says the airline.

LATAM new logo

LATAM Airlines Group

While the carrier unveiled its new logo today, it was not ready to share images of its new aircraft livery and staff uniforms.

Cadier says the airline will debut its new paint job in the first half of 2016. He does not specify which aircraft type will receive the new livery first, but says that it will likely be introduced on more than one type.

Flightglobal’s Ascend Fleets shows that LAN and TAM will take delivery of Airbus A320 family aircraft, Airbus A350s and Boeing 787s in the first half of 2016.

Cadier says the group’s first A350, to be operated by TAM and expected to be delivered by Airbus at the end of this year, will still feature TAM’s existing livery.

“We have a window in which any change to the livery has to be done 12 to 18 months in advance,” he says.

LATAM expects to spend up to $40 million on the rebranding, but notes that this is only the cost of the physical rebranding itself, which includes repainting aircraft, providing new uniforms for staff and changing airport signage. Cadier estimates that at least 80% of the $40 million will go towards aircraft repainting.

The airline is planning to debut its new livery before the 2016 Summer Olympics, which is being hosted in Rio de Janeiro.

LAN and TAM closed their merger in 2012, creating Latin America’s biggest airline group. It has passenger subsidiaries in Chile, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Argentina, Ecuador and Paraguay.

Source: Cirium Dashboard