SANTIAGO, Chile, Jan. 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- LAN Airlines S.A. and its subsidiaries ("LAN" or "the Company") (NYSE: LFL / IPSA: LAN), one of the leading airlines in Latin America, today reported its preliminary monthly traffic statistics and punctuality indicators for December 2009.

System passenger traffic for December increased 10.6% as capacity rose 7.8%. As a result, the Company's load factor increased 1.9 points to 76.7%. International passenger traffic accounted for approximately 70% of total passenger traffic.

Domestic passenger traffic in Chile, Argentina, Peru and Ecuador rose 5.9% as capacity increased 8.3%. As a consequence, the domestic load factor for the month decreased 1.7 points to 74.9%.

International passenger traffic for December rose 12.8% as capacity increased 7.6%. Accordingly, the international passenger load factor for the month increased 3.6 points to 77.5%. International capacity was mainly driven by an increase in operations on routes to Europe and to the South Pacific.

During the month of December, cargo traffic increased 23.8%. This increase was mainly due to the recovery in import and export markets in Latin America, as well as increased operations to Europe. In line with the higher demand, capacity grew 11.5%. As a result, the cargo load factor rose 7.3 points, reaching 73.5%.

During December, 86.5% of the Company's total flights left on time based on a fifteen-minute standard (all departures leaving within fifteen minutes of the scheduled departure time are considered as "on-time"). This represented a decrease of 3.1 points compared to December 2008.

About LAN

LAN Airlines is one of the leading passenger and cargo airlines in Latin America. The company and its affiliates serve over 65 destinations around the world through an extensive network that offers full connectivity within Latin America, while also linking the region with North America, Europe and the South Pacific, as well as 63 additional international destinations through its various alliances. LAN Airlines and its affiliates have a leading position in their respective domestic markets of Chile and Peru as well as an important presence in the Argentinean domestic market and has begun operations in the domestic market of Ecuador.

Currently, LAN Airlines and its affiliates operate one of the most modern fleets in the world, with 85 passenger aircraft, and its cargo subsidiary, LAN CARGO and its respective cargo affiliates, have a fleet of 11 dedicated freighters. The company recently completed its short haul fleet renovation process by acquiring new aircraft from the Airbus A320 family, enabling LAN to improve its efficiency and to reduce significantly its CO2 emissions. The fleet renovation is part of the company's commitment to the protection of the environment.

LAN is one of the few Investment Grade airlines in the world (BBB). The company's world-class quality standards enabled its membership in oneworld(TM), the global alliance that encompasses the best airlines in the world. For more information, please visit www.lan.com or www.oneworldalliance.com.



    CONTACTS IN CHILE                  CONTACTS IN NEW YORK
    Investor Relations                 Maria Barona/Pete Majeski
    gisela.escobar@lan.com             lan@i-advize.com
    rodrigo.petric@lan.com             i-advize Corporate Communications, Inc.
    bernardita.sepulveda@lan.com       Tel: (212) 406-3690
    Tel: (56-2) 565-8785

SOURCE LAN Airlines S.A.