Regulatory Filings • Jun 30, 2016
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June 30, 2016
VIA EDGAR AND U.S. MAIL
Mr. Lyn Shenk
Branch Chief
Division of Corporation Finance
U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission
100 F Street, N.E.
Washington, D.C. 20549, U.S.A.
Re: LATAM Airlines Group S.A. Form 20-F for Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2015 Filed April 29, 2016 File No. 001-14728
Dear Mr. Shenk:
By letter dated June 22, 2016, the staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Staff” and the “Commission,” respectively) provided comments to LATAM Airlines Group S.A.’s Form 20-F for the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2015. In response to the Staff’s comments and on behalf of LATAM Airlines Group S.A. and its consolidated subsidiaries (collectively, “LATAM” or the “Company”), we hereby submit the response below.
The Staff’s comment is set forth below in boldface type.
Form 20-F for Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2015
Consolidated Financial Statements
Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows, page F-12
Dividends disclosed in the statement of cash flows for the years 2013, 2014 and 2015 relate to dividends paid by subsidiaries of LATAM Airlines Group in which the Company has an ownership interest of less than 100%. Specifically, they correspond to dividends paid by Lan Perú S.A. and by Multiplus S.A., a subsidiary of TAM and a publicly traded company in Brazil. Therefore, these dividends represent the payments made by subsidiaries to holders of the non-controlling interests.
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General
Sudan and Syria are designated by the U.S. Department of State as state sponsors of terrorism, and are subject to U.S. economic sanctions and export controls. Please describe to us the nature and extent of any past, current, and anticipated contacts with Sudan and Syria since your letter to us dated February 10, 2014, whether through subsidiaries, affiliates, partners, joint ventures, alliance members or other direct or indirect arrangements. You should describe any services, products, information or technology you have provided to Sudan or Syria, directly or indirectly, and any agreements, commercial arrangements, or other contacts you have had with the governments of those countries or entities they control.
LATAM does not operate any flights, directly or through code share agreements, to either Sudan or Syria. LATAM has no assets (including no jointly owned businesses) or employees in Sudan or Syria. LATAM is member of the Oneworld alliance, which has a total of 15 member airlines. Some of these other airline participants of the Oneworld alliance may have operations in or flights to and from Syria and Sudan. In addition, we are party to interline agreements, which allow participating carriers to indirectly sell destinations through interline services. LATAM, however does not believe that its participation in these very limited interline sales pose a material investment risk for its security holders.
As described in more detail below, LATAM does not consider its current very limited interline sales to said destinations to pose a material investment risk for its security holders, notwithstanding the fact that Sudan and Syria have been identified by the U.S. State Department as sponsors of terrorism and are subject to U.S. economic sanctions and asset controls. LATAM has considered both quantitative and qualitative factors in reaching this conclusion.
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Quantitative Considerations
As stated above, LATAM does not operate any flights, directly or through code share agreements, to either Sudan or Syria. LATAM does not generate any revenues, either from its passenger or its cargo business, related to operations in or flights to and from Syria by other Oneworld participating airlines. Regarding Sudan, LATAM generates less than 0, 01% of its revenues from interline sales to and from such destination by other Oneworld participating airlines.
Non-Quantitative Considerations
With respect to non-quantitative factors, LATAM does not believe that such limited interline sales pose a material investment risk for our security holders. LATAM discloses its relationship with Oneworld members on its website and in its annual reports on Form 20-F. Based on communications with investors and analysts who follow LATAM, LATAM has no reason to believe that either its existing shareholders or potential new investors would consider its current interline relations with airlines that have flights to and from or operations in Sudan and Syria as a factor negatively affecting LATAM’s reputation or share value. LATAM respectfully submits that its current interline sales of destinations is not uncommon in the airline industry, and represents the norm rather than the exception.
In summary, notwithstanding the fact that Sudan and Syria have been identified by the U.S. State Department as sponsors of terrorism and are subject to U.S. economic sanctions and asset controls, LATAM does not believe that its current involvement in such operations pose a material investment risk for our security holders, considering both quantitative and non-quantitative factors.
In accordance with your request, LATAM acknowledge that:
· The company is responsible for the adequacy and accuracy of the disclosure in the filing;
· Staff comments or changes to disclosure in response to staff comments do not foreclose the Commission from taking any action with respect to the filing; and
· The company may not assert staff comments as a defense in any proceeding initiated by the Commission or any person under the federal securities laws of the United States.
LATAM is grateful for your assistance in this matter. LATAM trusts that its responses adequately address the Staff’s comments. If the Staff has any questions concerning this letter or requires further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact Gisela Escobar at (562) 2565 8785 or [email protected].
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| Sincerely, |
|---|
| Enrique Cueto Plaza |
| Chief Executive Officer |
| LATAM Airlines Group S.A. |
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