LATAM Airlines Group continues its international push, after slashing Brazil growth targets

LATAM Airlines group continues to expand internationally as weak economic conditions within Latin America linger. The company has already slashed growth targets for Brazil, which is LATAM's largest domestic market, and one of the weakest economies within the region.

LATAM's latest round of international flights includes linking its Lima hub to Washington DC and proposed new service from Sao Paulo to Johannesburg. The company also aims to bolster its connections to the Caribbean with flights from Bogota and Brasilia to Punta Cana. Those new routes join other long haul additions in 2015 including Sao Paulo to Barcelona, Toronto and Cancun, Lima to Orlando and Santiago to Milan.

The moves show the balance LATAM is attempting to strike in building its network utility and deploying capacity to stronger markets while managing falling demand in weaker regions. Unfortunately, it appears the challenges within Latin America will remain in place for the short term as growth prospects for the region's major economies have been refined downward for 2015, and modest growth is predicted for 2016.