LATAM Airlines marked a milestone last week when the first retrofitted Boeing 767 completed its inaugural flight south of Lima, signaling the culmination of three years of development.
With the first aircraft now finished, LATAM plans to retrofit roughly one third of its fleet — about 200 aircraft — over the next two years. The program represents an investment of approximately $400 million and was guided by extensive passenger consultation to identify priorities for business-class comfort and service.
“We wanted the passenger to be at the heart of every decision in the development of our cabins, so we talked to them and asked them what they wanted,” said Claudia Sender, Vice President of Customers at LATAM Airlines Group.
Managers and designers focused on three main objectives when redesigning the cabins: better rest, easier access to the aisle, and enhanced privacy combined with generous space for work and personal storage. These goals shaped the most significant changes, especially in Premium Business class.
Premium Business now features a 1-2-1 seating layout so every passenger has direct aisle access. On the 767, the reconfigured business cabin contains 20 custom Thompson seats that recline and include 16-inch entertainment screens. Design elements draw on South American landscapes: granite tabletops and textured seat backs evoke the Andes and the Patagonian deserts, giving the cabin a distinctive regional character.
Service in Premium Business has also been redesigned. The new service model, which will be rolled out fully later this year, emphasizes fewer interruptions during rest periods, a dining concept that supports restful sleep and refreshed mornings, and upgraded onboard sleep furnishings to raise comfort standards.
Economy has been refreshed as well, with a new LATAM+ option available for passengers seeking extra comfort. LATAM+ offers priority boarding, increased legroom, and access to the same onboard dining served in standard economy.
Throughout the fleet, in-flight entertainment systems are provided by Panasonic, with content updated monthly. Programming decisions are influenced by passenger feedback collected during the retrofit trials to ensure the most relevant content remains available.
These cabin upgrades extend the operational life of older but serviceable aircraft by modernizing interiors and systems without replacing the entire airframe.
“Technology is alive, and we need to keep on the top of our game,” Sender said just before the 767’s inaugural flight.
One visible change on the retrofitted 767s is a slight reduction in total seats: the revamped business cabin now has 20 seats instead of 18, while the introduction of more legroom in LATAM+ led to the removal of a row of seats elsewhere. In total, the retrofitted 767s carry five fewer seats than before.
According to David Harry, manager of corporate communications for LATAM, the first retrofitted aircraft have been flying for more than three weeks. Early customer surveys on those flights have returned overwhelmingly positive feedback, the airline reported.