Latam Airlines Group has commenced building a US$15 million maintenance hangar at Miami International Airport (MIA) to be completed in 12 to 14 months, according to Shipping Gazette.
It is the Santiago-based airline's first maintenance hangar in the US and will be able to accommodate aircraft up to the size of a Boeing 777-300.
"With the hangar, we will be able to take full advantage of the time we have the aircraft here, performing line maintenance, engine changes and major repairs," said LAN Cargo chief operations officer Fernando Poitevin.
LAN Cargo and its affiliates will move more than 4,500 tonnes of cargo imports and 3,500 tonnes of cargo exports through Miami per week, or 414,000 tonnes throughout 2014.
But Mr Poitevin acknowledges that last few years has been challenging for cargo in terms of demand.
Northbound cargo, 90 per cent perishable, has been strong, but southbound volumes are low, which include high-tech products, pharmaceuticals, auto parts and oil and mining equipment.
"We move live animals once in a while, but generally speaking, it's mostly high-tech," Mr Poitevin said.
"This year has been flat and we were able to adjust our network and today we are flying our freighter fleet less and taking more advantage of our passenger fleet bellies," he said.
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