Its five-times-weekly Heathrow-Lima service was inaugurated at the weekend. Latam will operate the route on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

It becomes Latam’s second direct route linking the UK with Latin America, complementing its daily London-Sao Paulo service.

Flights to Peru’s capital are timed at around 12 hours, and will be operated by a two-cabin Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft offering 30 premium business seats and 217 economy.

Latam currently flies to 144 destinations across 24 countries, operating more than 60 weekly frequencies from Europe. A direct Madrid-Bogota service will take off next summer.

Lima had previously been served from the UK by British Airways’ non-stop Gatwick service, which was pulled in 2021 during the pandemic after five years.

Davide Ioppolo, Latam regional commercial director central and southeast Europe, UK, Nordics and South Africa, said the launch positioned Latam as "the best option" for anyone seeking to travel to South America, for business or for leisure.

Ioppolo added Latam would offer onward connections to 19 destinations in Peru from Lima, and more than 30 international destinations.

Saturday’s inaugural flight (2 December) marked the first time a Peruvian crew had operated a flight between Peru and the UK.