Delta to fly Salt Lake City's first-ever nonstop to South America
Delta Air Lines will launch the first-ever nonstop to South America from Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC).
Come Dec. 4, the SkyTeam alliance carrier will offer a daily flight from the capital of Utah to Jorge Chávez International Airport (LIM) in Lima, Peru, through Jan. 25, 2026, Delta said Friday. The airline will operate the new route with a Boeing 767-300ER.
Delta's new Salt Lake City-Lima route will make it easier for southbound travelers to check out Peru's many wonders, from Machu Picchu to the Amazon rainforest, and for northbound visitors to enjoy Utah's mountains and national parks.
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But as exciting as both destinations are, the route deepens connections between Delta and its South American partner, LATAM. Lima is LATAM's second-largest hub by departures and Salt Lake City is Delta's fourth largest, schedule data from aviation analytics firm Cirium shows. That means significant new one-stop connecting opportunities for travelers in either direction, for example from Lima to Boise or from Salt Lake City to Cordoba, Argentina.
It is also notable that Delta's second nonstop to Lima — it serves the Peruvian capital only from its megahub at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) — is from fast-growing Salt Lake City and not one of its larger hubs at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) or Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP).
"This new route is a significant milestone for Delta and our customers in Salt Lake City and throughout the Mountain West," Paul Baldoni, senior vice president of network planning at the airline, said in a statement. "With this expanded connectivity through our Salt Lake City hub, we're proud to offer a faster, more convenient way to reach Lima and other major cities across South America."
Salt Lake City airport officials estimate that the route will open 30 new one-stop destinations in South America to local travelers.
Delta and LATAM launched their partnership in 2022. The pact allows them to coordinate everything from routes and schedules to airfares, and jointly sell tickets for flights.
Since they debuted their partnership, Delta and LATAM have added seven new routes between the U.S. and South America, Cirium schedules show. They include flights from Orlando International Airport (MCO) to both El Dorado International Airport (BOG) in Bogota, Colombia, and Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport (SCL) in Santiago, Chile; from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to São Paulo Guarulhos International Airport (GRU); and from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Galeao International Airport (GIG) in Rio de Janeiro.
The new long-haul route also comes five years after Salt Lake City opened a new terminal designed to facilitate the growth of Delta's hub. The airline launched the airport's only nonstop to Asia, a daily flight to Incheon International Airport (ICN) in Seoul, South Korea, in June.
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