LATAM Airlines Ecuador flew 12,800 kg of humanitarian aid from Quito to Baltra aboard an Airbus A319 for people affected by flooding on Santa Cruz in the Galápagos. Coordinated with LATAM Cargo Group, Ecuador’s Chamber of Industries and Production and Grupo Entregas, the shipment comprised 1,000 food and hygiene kits and 9,600 litres of water. The aircraft carried cargo in both its hold and passenger cabin because Baltra cannot accommodate LATAM Cargo’s Boeing 767 freighter.
The A319 carried 6,700 kg in the hold and 6,100 kg secured on its installed cabin seats. LATAM used this “preighter” configuration to transport more than three times the cargo typically carried on a passenger flight, and nearly twice the aircraft’s hold-only capacity.
Heavy rain associated with El Niño affected Santa Cruz on 30 and 31 October. Around 2,000 people were affected and one person died, according to local emergency reporting. Ecuador’s National Emergency Operations Committee had also dispatched 10 tonnes of aid from Guayaquil, which reached Baltra on the night of 31 October.
LATAM has previously used passenger aircraft for cargo operations. No flight number or timings were reported, and details of the distribution of the supplies on Santa Cruz were not available.