Avianca and Latam fight for airline supremacy in South America

Two pan-South American super airlines have formed in recent years: Avianca and Latam.

In 2009, Colombia's Avianca merged with the El Salvador-based TACA Airlines. The two carriers and their sub-brands now operate using the Avianca banner and under the ownership of Avianca Holdings, which itself is a subsidiary of Brazil's Synergy Group.

Latam is a result of a 2012 merger between Chile's LAN Airlines and Brazil's TAM. The merged company is the largest airline in Latin America, with 46,000 employees operating subsidiaries in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.

Source: Business Insider