Chilean Easter Islandthe most remote inhabited area in the world and known for its Moai statues, has resumed daily flights to Santiago after three years of low frequencies due to the pandemic, Latam, the only airline operating on the island, reported this Saturday.

Located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, almost 4,000 kilometers from the coast of Chile, the island was protected from tourism after the detection of the first case in March 2020 and was completely closed until August last year, when Latam resumed operations with two weekly flights. .

“This is the most isolated place on earth. “It is one of the most complex routes in the world to fly and being able to connect a place like this, where there is no other way to get there, means a return to normality after the pandemic and the crisis,” said he to EFE. Mataveri Airport. Roberto Alvo, CEO of Latam.

Before the pandemic was The company had up to fourteen weekly flights, since Rapa Nui – the island’s native name – is one of Chile’s major tourist attractions and every year it received more than 100,000 visitors per year.

Latam, the largest airline in Latin America, born in 2012 as a result of the merger between Chile’s LAN and Brazil’s TAM, operated cargo flights during the pandemic to keep the island supplied, in addition to some charter flights for islanders who needed to travel. urgent arrangements on the continent.

The mayor of Rapa Nui, Pedro Edmunds Paoa, explained this to EFE More than 70% of the island’s 8,000 inhabitants are involved in tourism and assured that during the two-plus years they were closed, they had to “reinvent themselves.”

“We feel a lot of peace and tranquility with the resumption of flights, because air connections are our only option to guarantee the economic engine of Rapa Nui,” the mayor said.

However, Edmunds Paoa added that the pandemic made them “rethink the tourism model that had been developing for decades and decided to opt for a more “sustainable” industry.

“Mass tourism destroys heritage. All you have to do is visit the Roman Colosseum. We must learn from the mistakes that are happening in the world,” he concluded. (JO)