oneworld gains key TAM/LATAM Sao Paulo-Johannesburg service link in Southern Hemisphere

Brazil's TAM is aiming to launch services in 2016 to Johannesburg, making it only the sixth airline with long haul or transoceanic flights solely within the Southern Hemisphere. TAM will compete with current codeshare partner South African Airways (SAA) on the Sao Paulo-Johannesburg route.

The new TAM service will be the first oneworld link between South America and Africa, plugging a hole in the alliance's round the world offering. Qantas now links Australia with South Africa and South America while TAM sister carrier LAN also operates over the South Pacific.

Star will also be able to offer a round the world product completely in the Southern Hemisphere from Dec-2015, when Air New Zealand launches services to South America. Star member SAA is now the only carrier linking South Africa to South America, also serving Australia.